If you notice excess gum above your teeth when you smile, you may have what’s known as a gummy smile. While many people are comfortable with it, others may feel conscious about this appearance, and it can be a sign of other issues in the mouth. If you’re looking for a solution to fix your gummy teeth, there are a few treatment options available.
What is a gummy smile?
A gummy smile — known technically as ‘excessive gingival display’ — is when you have a disproportionate amount of gum tissue above your teeth and under your upper lip that is visible when smiling. The appearance of a gummy smile will be different for everyone, based on the height of their teeth, the angle of the jaw, and the way the lips move during function and when smiling. Typically, it is considered disproportionate when there is more than a few millimetres of gum showing above your teeth.
In many cases, there is no cause for alarm with a gummy smile as these can remain healthly. Most patients with gummy smiles choose to have treatment for cosmetic reasons. However, if you do think you have excessive gingival display, it is worthwhile consulting with our dentists to ensure there are no dental health problems you should be concerned about.
What causes a gummy smile?
There are a number of different factors that can contribute to the appearance of excessive gingival display. These are some of the most common gummy smile causes:
- Jaw Bone Position: A bad bite occurs when the upper jaw protrudes further than the lower jaw, causing the two jaws to misalign. This genetic misalignment often results in the appearance of buck teeth and a gummy smile.
- Hyperactive Upper Lip: Overuse of the lip muscles can cause the upper lip to raise excessively, exposing a lot of gum tissue and creating a gummy smile appearance.
- Too Much Gum Tissue: When an excessive amount of gum tissue covers more enamel than normal, it becomes visible and contributes to a gummy smile. In these cases, the teeth appear ‘short’ as there is just too much gum present.
- Small Teeth: If you were born with small teeth, your gums are likely to be more noticeable and cause a gummy smile appearance.
If you notice any of these issues, it’s important to speak with your dentist to determine the best recommended treatment.
Gummy smile treatment
Thankfully, there are a number of ways to fix a gummy smile appearance at the dentist. It is important however to first determine the cause of your excessive gingival display as these will each require different treatments.
Scaling and root planing
If your gums are infected, they often become swollen and puffy. Basic tooth cleaning that involves scaling and root planing by your hygienist or dentists to remove bacteria in the gum pockets will definitely help. When the inflammation resolves, it tends to reduce gummy smile appearance too. This is one of the easier ways to start reducing gum tissue as it will provide the patient and the dental clinician with a healthy, natural tooth-gum appearnce before moving onto a more permanent procedure.
Gum lift
Gum lift treatments — also known as ‘gum contouring’ or a ‘smile lift’ — is used to remove excess gum tissue and reshape the appearance of your gum line. This procedure involves removing a small amount of gum tissue at the gumlime to make it appear higher. Dentists can perform this process under local anaesthetic in the dental chair manually or by using a laser. Both methods are common and considered very safe.
Crown lengthening
A crown lengthening procedure is similar to a gum lift, also working to remove excess gum tissue. However, crown lengthening treatment also recontours the bone surrounding your teeth to help more of your teeth appear above the gum. This makes your teeth look longer and your gum line shorter. This procedure takes longer to complete than a simple gum lift, and has a longer recovery period.
Lip lowering (non-surgical treatment)
Instead of altering your gums, lip lowering is where a dentist can deliver a certain type of medicament into the upper lip to reduce its ability to move in an upward direction. These treatments are very effective however the effect does wear off over a 3-4 month period and the treatment will need to be repeated.
Orthodontics
If your gummy smile is caused by poor tooth positions, or jaws that have developed in such a way that your upper jaw is ‘lower’ than normal’ an orthodontist can help correct these problems. Some cases may require orthognathic surgery to raise the upper jaw and others a simple course of braces or clear aligner treatment that can adjust the position of your teeth, which in turn reduces the amount of gum tissue shown.
Do you need a gummy smile fix?
Gummy smiles are typically more of an aesthetic problem than a dental health one, meaning it’s up to you whether you think you need treatment or not. We are always willing to consult with you and help you understand the problems and all of your treatment options.
In some cases, porcelain (ceramic) or composite veneers can be used following gummy smile reduction alongside the treatments mentioned above to improve the final aesthetic results. Adding veneers can improve the overall cosmetic result of your smile, ensuring it is even and symmetrical.
At CDIC, we want you to have the most confident smile. Get in touch to learn more about the treatment options for Gummy Smiles and how we can help you.
