There Are Several Possible Causes For A Gummy Smile
Posted on 4/25/2022 by Northstar Dental
Apart from the straight and translucent teeth you have, a beautiful smile has another essential component, which is balance. Your gums and the visible areas of your teeth are in balanced proportion. While aesthetic appeal is mostly in the eye of the beholder, dental specialists have a different view. They consider an ideal proportion between the gums and teeth to be one where the tooth has around 10 mm of visible length. For the upper gums, there should be no more than 4 mm of tissue showing when you smile.
A Disproportionate Smile
When you have teeth that appear shorter than 10 mm and gums that display more than 4 mm, you may have what is known as a gummy smile. Many people don't love a gummy smile and it can cause a lack of confidence with your mouth.
Correcting a Gummy Smile
Different approaches for restoring a gummy smile to its proper form are available depending on the cause of the appearance of gumminess. The causes of gummy smiles are different and diverse in nature. Excess gum tissue is likely to cause a smile to appear gummy. Also, shortened teeth can cause the issue of a gummy smile. A dentist may perform a crown lengthening procedure to help correct either possibility. The dentist removes any excess gum tissue. Additionally, the dentist may reposition the gums once reshaping of the underlying bone has been done to reveal more of the crown. If it's a case of shortened teeth, porcelain veneers can help make them appear longer.
Hypermobile lip, a situation where your lips rise higher than usual while smiling, can cause your smile to look gummy. A dentist can inject Botox to relax them so that they do not move upward excessively. However, Botox injection is a temporary solution. A more permanent solution is to undergo surgery to restrict or limit the upward movement of your lip muscles.
If the upper jaw becomes longer in relation to the face, your gums may seem too prominent. A dentist can perform an orthognathic surgery procedure to place the upper jaw higher on the skull. As such, the surgery helps reduce your jaw profile with your face, hence affecting how tissues of your gums show when smiling. Find out more about improving a gummy smile. Call us today to set up an appointment.
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Apart from the straight and translucent teeth you have, a beautiful smile has another essential component, which is balance. Your gums and the visible areas of your teeth are in balanced proportion. While aesthetic appeal is mostly in the eye of the beholder, dental specialists have a different view. They consider an ideal proportion between the gums and teeth to be one where the tooth has around 10 mm of visible length. For the upper gums, there should be no more than 4 mm of tissue showing when you smile.