Many dentists refer to gums that extend too far down as a “gummy” smile. Even if a person has straight, healthy, and symmetrical teeth, a gummy smile can diminish the beauty of their smile.
It can make the teeth look small and make people feel self-conscious about their smiles’ appearance. In clinical terms, it is called the excessive gingival display.
What’s a Gummy Smile?
A disproportionate gum line is considered one where the exposed gum line is about 3-4 millimetres. Such gumlines can also be referred to as a “gummy smile”.
However, the perception of gum line can be affected by:
- The teeth’s height and shape
- The movement of your lips when smiling
- The jaw angle compared with the other facial features
What contributes to a gummy smile?
01. Mouth breathing
Leads to physical abnormalities and cognitive challenges in children if not treated early.
02. Altered passive eruption
Your gums covered more of your teeth’s surface
03. Dentoalveolar extrusion
When your front teeth over erupted, your gum might have grown too far as well.
04. Vertical maxillary excess
When the bones of your upper jaw grow longer than their typical length
05. Shorter Upper lips
When your lips are shorter, you might be able to see more of your gum line
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What can you do about it?
Gum lifting and reshaping is a simple procedure to correct the “gummy smile” or uneven gum line. It requires the gums to be laser-trimmed which alters the shape and size of the tooth area, improving the overall appearance.
How we treat gummy smiles at DP Dental
At DP Dental, we strive to provide the most gentle and effective treatments for our patients. We are proud to care for our patients using state-of-the-art technologies: Waterlase Laser technology, which results in less bleeding and less discomfort.
Waterlase Laser
The Waterlase laser offers high preparation speed and the greatest possible safety in cavity preparation, periodontics, endodontics, and surgical procedures such as gum recontouring.
- First, the patient’s mouth is numbed with a local anaesthetic to eliminate any discomfort to begin the laser gum recontouring process.
- The dentist will then use a diode laser to gently remove excess gum tissue and sculpt a more uniform, scalloped gum line.
Diode lasers cauterise while they release, which means only minor bleeding and a dramatically reduced chance of infection for patients. Our clinicians can complete the entire gum lifting procedure in just one brief visit to our office.
Laser Gum Contouring Recovery
After the gum lifting procedure, patients may experience sore or swollen gums for up to a week. However, the discomfort should be minimal and will not interfere with daily activities such as speaking, eating, or drinking.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/gummy-smile#about-a-gummy-smile
https://www.healthline.com/health/mouth-breathing#risk-factors
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/gummy-smile#about-a-gummy-smile
https://www.healthline.com/health/mouth-breathing#risk-factors