If you are bothered by your “gummy” smile, you might be self-conscious about the way your teeth look. Talk to you cosmetic dentist or periodontist to find an option to improve the way your smile looks and improve your self-confidence.
What Causes a Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile is a smile in which the gums seem proportionately larger than the teeth. This might just be the way your mouth, teeth, and gums are shaped, but in some cases it occurs due to other factors. For example, sometimes the teeth do not fully emerge from the gums, leaving them partly covered. In other cases, the muscle that draws back the upper lip when you smile is hyperactive, drawing back too far and causing more gum tissue to show. Or the way your smile looks might just be a function of the way your face and jaw are shaped.
Regardless of the cause of your gummy smile, it can make you self-conscious about smiling and decrease your quality of life. If you’re concerned about the way your gums look in proportion to your teeth, talk to your cosmetic dentist about treatment options.
Treatment for a Gummy Smile
Your cosmetic dentist can help with your gummy smile by changing the proportion of gum tissue as it compares to the size of your teeth. One way to do this is through gum contouring. This relatively simple surgical procedure removes gum tissue, exposing more of your tooth. Lasers are often used, making the procedure faster and leading to faster healing.
For teeth that have not emerged properly from the gums, a crown lengthening procedure might be necessary. In this procedure, your cosmetic dentist removes a significant amount of gum tissue as well as some bone in order to expose more of your teeth. After the gums have healed, veneers are placed on the teeth to give them a natural look and outline. You can work with your dentist to determine what approach will give you the best results in correcting your gummy smile. Call our team today!