A gummy smile, also known as excessive gingival display, is when you smile and too much gum tissue is visible above the top teeth. It might make you feel self-conscious or that your smile seems less attractive. A gummy smile can be fixed. The type of treatment will depend on what is causing the excessive gingival display.
What is a Gummy Smile?
There is not a set definition of a gummy smile, and it is based on perception. There have been studies conducted to identify what people consider excessive gingival display. Smiles were rated as attractive when two millimeters or less of gum tissue was exposed. At three millimeters or more, the smile was thought to be gummy. The condition is more common in women than men. Some experts claim that about 14% of women and 7% of men have excessive gingival display.
What Causes a Gummy Smile?
There are a variety of causes of a gummy smile, the most common ones are:
- Teeth that appear shorter from improper eruption and remain partially covered by gum tissue.
- Teeth that are smaller in comparison to the gums due to either genetics or wear.
- When your upper lip is too short.
- A hyperactive upper lip that is normal when your face is resting but lifts too high when smiling.
- Gums that are enlarged, known as gingival hypertrophy.
- An overgrowth of the upper jaw, called vertical maxillary excess, which makes gums bulge out.
The causes are all related to the teeth, lips, jaws, or gums, which are the key components that compose your smile aesthetics. It is about proportion and positioning and when one element is not correct, it upsets the balance. Often the condition behind your gummy smile is genetic so it cannot be prevented.
Gummy Smile Treatment
The appropriate gummy smile correction will depend on the cause. Options include:
- If the reason for your excessive gingival display is mild, it can sometimes be fixed with orthodontics alone to shift the bite and make the gums appear less prominent.
- For moderate to severe jaw protrusion, the best course of action is jaw surgery. The upper jaw is recontoured so that it is the correct, creating dramatic results.
- Veneers or crowns can make the teeth look longer and improve the tooth-to-gum ratio.
- If too much gum tissue is the issue, a gingivectomy can be performed. In this procedure, the extra gum tissue is removed and reshaped to expose more of the teeth and improve your smile aesthetics.
- If the teeth are not fully erupted, crown-lengthening surgery, which removes gum tissue and bone to expose more teeth and then let the gums retract back to their correct position.
- Lip repositioning surgery can be a viable alternative if the excessive gingival display is the result of a short or hyperactive upper lip.
- Laser gum contouring procedures can easily remove extra gum tissue for the gums that extend too far down covering your teeth.
- Botox is a new contender, and it is not a much cheaper gummy smile treatment option than surgery. The results are temporary, only lasting about three to four months and it will only work when the upper lip is the culprit.