What is a Gummy Smile?

Gummy smile is a condition in which more than three millimeters of gum tissue is exposed when smiling, leading to cosmetic concerns and making your smile unattractive.

Smile dissatisfaction can leave you feeling embarrassed and impact your confidence, yet there are multiple treatment options available to you.

Causes

Your genes and the size and structure of your teeth could lead to an excessively gummy smile, as can occur through abnormal jaw development during childhood or wear and tear over time. If more gum tissue than is considered normal is revealed during your smile it could make you self-conscious of its appearance and potentially make you self-conscious of yourself and how others perceive you.

If you suffer from excessive gingival display, contouring the soft tissue should usually do the trick to correct it. A cosmetic dental procedure known as gingivectomy or gum lift removes extra gum tissue so more crowns can be exposed, helping balance out and improve proportions between your jaws and teeth. A dentist can also address genetic causes of an excessively gingival smile through orthodontic treatment; Invisalign or Damon braces could shift jaw positions into their proper places, decreasing how much gum shows when you smile.

Hyperactive upper lip muscles can cause your mouth to rise higher than necessary when smiling, revealing more gum tissue than intended. A non-invasive treatment option would be Botox which temporarily paralyses these muscles to minimize how much gum tissue is exposed when smiling. More invasive solutions might involve orthognathic surgery which recontours and relocates maxilla bones to minimize protruded jawlines.

Treatment Options

If you’re unsatisfied with the appearance of your smile, there are various treatments available to address its appearance – these range from strictly aesthetic solutions to treatments which address any underlying problems causing its gummy appearance.

For instance, if your gummy smile is caused by overerupted or far-spreading teeth, orthodontic treatment such as braces could help reposition them closer to the gum line, thus decreasing how much gum tissue shows when smiling and improving overall harmony of your smile.

Alternative approaches such as dental veneers and crowns may also help make your teeth appear longer and larger, creating more balanced proportions with gum tissue, thus creating harmony in your smile.

Botox injections may be an effective solution to address hyperactive upper lips that cause gummy smiles in some people. When administered as directed, Botox can limit range of movement in your lips and keep them from lifting too high when you smile – this procedure typically lasts three to six months but could result in complications such as redness, bruising, swelling and headaches if performed incorrectly; to be safe it should only be undertaken if recommended by a dentist.

Non-Surgical Options

There are non-surgical options available to those suffering from gummy smiles that may prove effective, such as lip exercises, Botox injections and crown lengthening.

Reducing gum tissue by your dentist to reveal more of a tooth’s natural structure is often recommended as an effective solution to mild to moderate excess gum tissue build-up.

Scaling and root planing are non-surgical procedures designed to improve gummy smiles. Your dentist uses special tools to remove plaque and tartar build-up underneath your gum line – helping heal gums while often diminishing the appearance of a gummy smile.

Your dentist may suggest veneers or crowns for more permanent solutions, which are relatively painless cosmetic treatments with relatively low risks. Veneers or crowns may especially prove helpful if your gummy smile is caused by an incorrect bite or jaw development issue; in more extreme cases surgery repositioning the upper jaw with screws could be required; this process however should only be considered when non-alternative approaches have failed.