Reduce a Gummy Smile

A gummy smile is something that close to 29% of American adults contend with. Our smile is the foundation for our personality. It can mold and influence our self-confidence and our self-esteem. Even though the mouth and smile are such a small part of our overall anatomy it is a huge player in contributing to our identity. A gummy smile can be caused by a number of different factors and can be corrected easily as well.

What is a Gummy Smile?

The dental professionals call this dental issue an excessive gingival display. Simply put, it is when the ration of your teeth and gums are out of proportion when you smile. When your lip is lifted you see more gum than the crowns of the teeth. The desired smile shows 2 millimeters of gum tissue. If your smile exceeds that than your smile is aesthetically out of balance.

Gummy Smile Common Causes

The most common cause is simple genetics. That it is something you inherited. A second common cause is how the teeth erupted. Unfortunately, excessive wear on your teeth can reduce the length of the crown resulting in a self-induced gummy smile. The upper jaw might be overgrown causing some gum tissue bulge. Then there is your lip, a piece of the smile puzzle. If the lip is too short or if the lip is normal when the face is a rest and then hyperactively lifts too high during a smile resulting in exposing more gum tissue than desired.

How do you Reduce a Gummy Smile?

The most common procedure is that of gum contouring or gum reshaping. The dentist, with a local anesthetic numbing the tissue, uses either a surgical scalpel or a laser to remove some of the excessive gum tissue. The quick result is the exposure of more of the crown of the tooth. Either process heals quickly but the laser cauterizes as it cuts eliminating any bleeding. Botox is becoming a popular solution. After the injection the muscle lifting the lips becomes paralyzed and prevents the lip from going too high. This solution is a temporary fix though. The treatment only lasts three to four months. You might be a candidate for the introduction of either crowns or porcelain veneers to lengthen the crowns of the teeth exposed in your smile. On an occasion orthodontics might be the avenue to fix the gummy smile if it is related to your bite pattern. Surgery would be necessary if the proper solution involved reshaping of your jaw.

What to Expect after having your Gummy Smile Reduced

You may have become self-conscious of your gummy smile and it affected how you interacted with people around you, both in your personal circles and your professional encounters. Now that you have a healthy smile you will see an improvement in your mood. This can result in improvements in anxiety and depression levels as well as even lowering blood pressure. In fact, it has been proven that a healthy and happy smile will result in longer life expectancies. Enjoy your smile, it is an undervalued attribute.

More on Gummy Smiles : What Causes Gummy Smiles?