Smiling, happy eyes. Shining apples of the cheeks. Mouth turning up at the corners. Bright, white teeth. Lots and lots of gum. What’s wrong with this picture? Structurally, nothing. A gummy smile usually does not impact the function of your teeth and gums or lead to any serious dental health issues. But what about the things you cannot see? Gummy smile correction may give you a much-needed boost to your self-confidence – just one more thing to smile about.
Where to start to fix a gummy smile
Gummy smile is also sometimes referred to as “gingival excess” or “exacerbated gingival display.” To be considered a gummy smile, more than three millimeters of gingiva need to show when you smile.
This excess can be caused by:
- Abnormal structures in the mouth
- Excess gum tissue
- Shortened upper lip
- Hyperactive facial muscles
- An excess of the maxillary jaw bone
To fix a gummy smile, the first step is to talk with your dentist. They can measure the visible expanse of gum. Diagnosing the underlying cause of your gummy smile is the next step to treatment. Only after you consider the cause is it wise to start weighing your gummy smile treatment options.
How to get rid of a gummy smile naturally
While most gummy smile correction treatments lean heavily on interventional approaches, you might want to try these at home gummy smile treatments first. They may not work for you, but it can be something to try while you consider more advanced treatments.
Smile exercises
The facial muscles can be trained just like any other muscle in the body, and training them can sometimes help a minimally gummy smile.
In the first exercise, smile wide with your lips pressed firmly together. Gradually begin to peel the lips apart, starting at the corners of the mouth and moving towards the center, finishing with a wide, toothy grin. Hold for ten seconds, then gradually reverse, closing the lips first in the center and moving outward.
Next, smooth the wrinkles around the mouth with this wrinkle-erasing exercise. Pucker your lips like a fish and suck in your cheeks. Attempt to smile until you feel a slight strain around the lips. Release. Repeat just once or twice a day.
Finally, smile widely with your lips closed. Wiggle your nose from side to side (like a rabbit) until you feel your cheeks engage. Release, and repeat ten times.
Makeup changes
If you wear makeup regularly, you may be able to draw attention away from your gummy smile. Using a neutral lip color and focusing more on your eye makeup, you may find your gummy smile is less noticeable to you.
6 gummy smile correction treatments
If natural gummy smile treatments are unsuccessful, there are interventional treatments that are much more effective at correcting gummy smile. Here are six potential treatments you can try.
1. Gingivectomy
A gingivectomy is a surgery that removes excessive gum tissue. It’s often the standard of care when it comes to moderate or severe gummy smiles.
AZ Dentist performs laser gingivectomy. The healing times for laser gingivectomy is much faster than a traditional surgical gingivectomy, with less pain, bleeding, and chance of infection.
2. Braces
Braces can be another way to fix a gummy smile, depending on the cause of your gummy smile.
How do they work? Braces apply upward thrusting force to the upper teeth. This does not shorten the gums or expose more teeth. Rather, the teeth and gums are remodeled as they move, resulting in less gum exposure after braces are removed.
3. Crown lengthening
Your tooth has two essential parts: the root below the gumline, and the crown above (what we see when we smile). Patients with a gummy smile often have shortened crowns above the gumline. A crown lengthening procedure is a simple surgical procedure that removes gum tissue to expose more of the tooth’s crown.
Once the crown is exposed, the expanse of gum appears smaller and more within the average range.
4. Botox
Botox is a first-line treatment for patients whose gummy smile is caused by hyperactive facial muscles.
When your brain cues your lip to smile, these facial muscles pull hard on your upper lip, exposing more gum than is necessary. Botox (botulinum toxin A) paralyzes the muscles that control the upper lip so that the response is more moderated.
There are some possible side effects to this treatment, but for many, this non-surgical approach is a good start. These injections will need to be repeated every three to six months, depending on the patient.
5. Lip lowering (or lip repositioning)
A lip lowering procedure is another simple surgical gummy smile treatment. The upper lip is attached to the gums by the frenulum, a thin bit of tissue. This bit of tissue is severed and then reattached lower onto the gumline, thus lowering the upper lip.
The entire surgery takes less than 45 minutes, with no visible scarring and a fast recovery time.
6. Orthognathic surgery
With its complicated name, orthognathic surgery completely changes the bone structure in the upper jaw. If your gummy smile is caused by excess vertical maxillary bone, orthognathic surgery removes this bone, shortening the upper jaw and bringing the smile into balance.
It is important to remember that, in most cases, a gummy smile is not a serious medical condition. Your teeth and jaw will function perfectly, and it will not impact your daily physical life.
That said, if excessive gum is making you self-conscious or holding you back from smiling, get in touch with AZ Dentist today to discuss gummy smile correction. We can help restore your beautiful, balanced smile.
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