If at the time of smiling the gums are displayed a lot then this condition is known as Gummy smile. So, when a person smiles then it becomes important that his upper teeth’ 3/4th or 2/3rd part is seen only. The appearance of the face can look unaesthetic if during smiling or speaking 2-3 mm more gums are seen.
Reasons behind a gummy smile
A gummy smile occurs because of a number of reasons:
Teeth size, shape and height
If the gum tissue partially covers the teeth or the eruption of teeth does not take place in a proper manner then these will look short. The teeth that are genetically small or wear out, look comparatively smaller than the gums.
The upper lip is too short
Normally 20-24 mm is the philtrum’s length or upper lip’s length. When somebody smiles from a resting position then his lips move around 7 mm.
Now, what are Hypermobile Lips? The Hypermobile Lips are those kinds of lips in which the gum tissues are displayed a lot during smiling because of the high lifting of the upper lip.
Hypertrophy of gums
When the gum tissues are shown in excess because of the jaw bone tumors, gum tumors, medicines like cyclosporins or phenytoin, puberty, pregnancy or hormonal changes then this condition is known as hypertrophy of gums.
Vertical maxillary excess
A bulging out of the gums because of the upper jaw’s excessive growth is known as vertical maxillary excess. The people who have vertical maxillary excess can’t attach their lower lip with the upper lip.
Breathing from mouth
The problem of inflamed gums and open mouth can occur in people who have issues of breathing because of adenoids or enlarged tonsils and who use their mouth for breathing.
Medications
The enlargement of gums can occur because of medications of certain types like:
- By using drugs that are anti-hypertensive
- Treating immunosuppressants with the use of Cyclosporins
- Treating epilepsy with the use of Phenytoin
Fixing the gummy smile
There are various ways of correcting a gummy smile:
Lengthening of crown / Surgery of gums
In order to get more attractive and little longer teeth a reshaping of the tissue of the gums is done which is known as the lengthening of the crown. For getting results that are painless, precise and bloodless a contouring of the gums with the help of a dental laser is done. Reshaping of the teeth surrounding bone also becomes necessary on various occasions. To provide that smile to the people which looks normal, a reshaping of the bone and reshaping of the gums is done. For eliminating the gum pockets that are deep, contouring of the gums is done. It is a safe procedure to undergo contouring of the gums. INR 1500 to INR 4500 are the charges for correcting a gummy smile.
Lengthening or lowering of the lip
When with respect to teeth, changing the lips position becomes necessary then a treatment known as lowering of the lips is done. Here the teeth do not require to undergo any procedure because their length is normal. The procedure includes the removal of the lip’s inner connective tissue and this procedure is known as the repositioning of the lip. With this procedure, it is possible to provide a richer look to the lip. Normally with the use of local anesthesia, this procedure is performed and provides long-lasting results to the people.
Correcting the muscles of the lips with the use of Botox injections
Sometimes upper lip retracts because of various muscles. These muscles are numbed with the use of Botox injections. There is no need for surgery with this procedure. But you can’t get permanent results with the help of this procedure.
Orthodontic treatment / Braces for gummy smile
With the use of Invisalign treatment or braces, it is possible to correct the erupted front teeth of the upper jaw.
For correcting your smile, a repositioning of the lip and pulling the teeth is done in orthodontic treatment.
Orthognathic surgery
Sometimes it becomes necessary to surgically reposition the upper jaw if there is a very big skeletal deformity. We call this procedure orthognathic surgery.
If I ever have a gummy smile then for getting its treatment, I will visit the dentist nearby. After diagnosing the cause for the gummy smile, he will provide me the best treatment.
