How to Fix a Gummy Smile without Surgery

Many people consider a beautiful as a person’s most important feature. However, there are instances when we do not have the smile deemed to be cosmetically beautiful, just like the case of a gummy smile. Having a gummy smile means that excessive gum tissue is exposed when you smile too much. Thus, there is an imbalance in the ratio between your lips, teeth and gums. The good news is that this problem can be corrected.

Contrary to popular belief, a gummy smile is not just caused by small teeth. At times, teeth can look small because of the imbalance between the upper lip and gums. Other possible causes of this condition include over-developed upper lip muscle, gums are upper lip are too close, undersized teeth and excessive gum tissue, among a few others.

The traditional methods of treating a gummy smile is with surgery. There is the periodontal surgery that lengthens the crown so the gingival levels are apically moved. This is mostly done on short teeth. Another method is orthognathic surgery where the maxilla is moved in an apical direction to impact the maxilla. If surgery is not your thing, there are other options for you.

• Orthodontics – With this method, the over-erupted teeth is intruded and leveled to the right position, eliminating any excess gingival display.
• Botox – Studies have shown that Botox injected on the upper lip can fix a gummy smile. However, the effect is temporary and should be repeated every few months.
• Lip fillers – A gel-like substance is injected in the upper lip that augments the height of the upper lip. When done successfully, less gum will show when you smile.
• Lip plumper devices – If you have a thin upper lip, these devices can minimize a gummy smile by increasing the height of your upper lip up to double or triple its normal.
• Cosmetic dentistry – In cases where the teeth are too small for the gums, a cosmetic dentist can increase the surface of the teeth by attaching crowns of facings.

Indeed, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of going through surgery to fix their gummy smiles. It is a good thing, then, that there are several non-surgical procedures that they can choose from to give themselves that perfect smile. Schedule a consultation and talk to your dentist now, and ask how you can have that perfect smile to gain your confidence back.