People who don’t show their teeth when they smile or hesitate to smile usually do so because they’re self-conscious about how their teeth look. What things might make someone self-conscious about the appearance of their smile? One of the explanations for tentative smiling is concern about a gummy smile.
What Is a Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile is an unbalanced smile where a person’s gums dominate the gum-to-tooth ratio. Also known as excessive gingival display, gummy smiles make the teeth appear smaller, and the gums appear larger. This smile type can be considered unaesthetic and is usually most prominent under the upper lip.
How a Gummy Smile Affects Appearances
A study published in the National Library of Medicine asked two groups of evaluators to rate a series of two sets of pictures. The first picture set was unaltered photos of smiling people with an excessive gingival display or gummy smiles. The study’s researchers digitally altered the second photo set to show reduced gum display and longer teeth. The results came back as one might expect. Evaluators rated photos with less gum display and more teeth visibility significantly higher for all five parameters.
What Are the Solutions for a Gummy Smile
Gummy smiles can be the result of a few different factors.
Depending on what caused a patient’s smile to become dominated by their gums, the treatment plan for each smile can differ.
- If a patient’s teeth didn’t erupt from the gumline all the way, orthodontics might be recommended.
- Similarly, if there is an excessive gum display due to an irregular jaw shape, orthodontics may be recommended in this case, with the potential for myofunctional therapy.
- Alternatively, the gums can be overgrown, which can be corrected via laser gum contouring.
- Another reason the gum-to-teeth ratio may favor the gums is if the teeth are still contained in the jawbone, which may require surgery to correct.
- If the patient’s teeth are too short, either due to genetics or grinding, their teeth can be lengthened with veneers.
- Lastly, if the patient’s smile line is too high, BOTOX injections can relax upper lip muscles to balance their smile.
Find Your Smile’s Potential
If you’re too concerned about your gums overwhelming your smile that it keeps you from living happily and authentically, then it’s time you scheduled an appointment for a gummy smile revision. Dr. Marzban helps patients take pride in their smiles again. Schedule your consultation today by calling 703-323-8200.
