Gummy smile
From an aesthetic point of view, it is ideal if no more than 1 to 2 mm of gums can be seen.
Some patients show too much gum when laughing. If all the upper front teeth are affected, what we are talking about is gummy smile. Visible gums during gummy smiles are relatively common in patients. Such people avoid laughing or, when they do, cover their mouths with their hands which can make them feel uncomfortable in society.
Causes of gummy smile
Apart from the accelerated growth of teeth in which the crown of the tooth is covered with gingival tissue, they can also be found in too strong vertical growth of the upper jaw. With a more mobile upper lip, the smile can be further aggravated due to low-lying muscle joints that control the movement of the upper lip and, due to hyperactivity, pull the lip into a forced position.
Although gummy smile is a big aesthetic problem for patients, it also presents difficulties in function. Depending on the size of the smile, the gingiva is detected and different procedures are used for correction.
The most commonly used is gingivectomy (removal and shaping of the gingiva) and extension of the clinical tooth crown.
Gummy smile correction
Correction involves lengthening the clinical crown of the tooth. It is routinely performed and there are two methods:
- One is to use a laser if minor correction is needed.
- The second is the classic surgical-periodontal method if major corrections are needed.
These two methods can also be combined. Which method will be used exactly is the condition in the patient's mouth, which is determined by the dental examination. The time required for the intervention itself depends on the number of teeth in which the correction of the length of the tooth crown is undertaken. In cases where the gummy smile is not large, and the teeth are small and / or there are diastemas (gaps between the teeth), it is necessary to do circumcision, ie removal of excess gums with a laser.
The intervention lasts about ten minutes and composite veneers are usually placed, if necessary (they change not only the length but also the position, shape and color of the teeth). In this way, the gingiva is formed according to the new facets, so completely controlled results are obtained. Of course, after the intervention, it takes a few days for the gums to calm down and for the patients to continue with a good hygiene regime. After a few months or years, composite veneers are replaced with ceramic ones, which can be considered a permanent solution.
In some cases, lip augmentation with hyaluronic acid can reduce the effect of gummy smile, but only as a supplement to other methods or with small corrections.
Today, a new method of solving gummy smiles is also popular: botox.
When the listed methods do not give a result, the therapeutic procedure of stabilizing the upper lip with botox is recommended due to the problem of increased muscle activity around the mouth and the wrong way of using it. This raises the upper lip. Botox works by weakening the muscle, reducing its movement and tension, and the upper lip no longer rises as before.
