Can Gum Contouring Get Rid of Your Gummy Smile?

What Is a Gummy Smile?

It is a condition where too much gum tissue shows when you smile. It is also called excessive gingival display. Usually, about two millimeters or less of your gums should show when you smile. Therefore, patients with more than three millimeters of gums are considered to have a gummy smile.

What Causes a Gummy Smile?

In medicine, understanding the case of a problem is the best way to offer the appropriate treatment. Various factors can result in a gummy smile, including the following:

1. Genetics – if other people in your family have a gummy smile, you are at a high risk of the same problem.

2. Misaligned jaw – when the top jaw does not align well with your bottom one, you can have a gummy smile. The stakes are higher if the upper jaw protrudes farther than it normally should.

3. A hyperactive upper lip – when your upper lip is more active than normal, it can overuse the muscles, causing the lip to lips up. When the lip lifts, it can expose more of your gums, resulting in a gummy smile.

4. An overgrowth of gum tissue – sometimes, there is no detailed explanation for your gummy smile other than you have too much gum tissue.

5. Gum disease – an infection in your gums typically leads to inflammation. When your gums swell, they can give the impression that you have a gummy smile.

What Problems Does a Gummy Smile Cause?

There is nothing particularly wrong with your oral cavity when you have a gummy smile. If anything, it is a cosmetic concern for patients who care too much about their aesthetics. At Faktor DMD Cosmetic Dentistry and Implants – NYC, we treat a gummy smile as a cosmetic dental problem. As such, the issues you experience due to a gummy smile are:

1. Damaged self-confidence

2. The appearance of small teeth

3. Poor oral health – patients with gummy smiles risk poor dental health and are highly associated with complications like periodontal disease.

Still, if orthodontic problems cause your gummy smile, you may experience other oral complications. Examples include an improper bite, frequent accidental biting, and gum disease, among a few.

What Is Gum Contouring?

It is a dental procedure entailing a gum lift to remove some of the gum tissue around the teeth. The procedure also restructures the gum line higher than the original position. The degree of contouring purely depends on your dentist. They must consider your facial features, complementing them when you smile. Therefore, be intent to pick the best cosmetic dentist in NYC if you want incredible results.

Sometimes the gum contouring treatment can entail a process of lowering the lip. Instead of removing part of the gums, the dentist in NYC can remove a small section of the gum tissue under the upper lip, then suture it to lower the lip.

What to Expect During Gum Contouring

When you visit a dental clinic near you for gummy smile treatment, anticipate the following during gum contouring:

1. Marks on your gum – the dentist begins your treatment by making marks that will guide the contouring process. The last thing you need is for your dentist to remove too much gum tissue, weakening your teeth’ stability.

2. Local anesthesia – since the procedure is surgical, the dentist numbs your mouth to make the process pain-free.

3. Removing the gums – your cosmetic dentist will use a laser, scalpel, or radiosurgery to remove the marked gum tissue. In some cases, the dentist may need to trim the bone in front of the teeth. It will further improve appearance after treatment.

Other Ways to Treat a Gummy Smile

Aside from gum contouring, your dentist in NYC can recommend other treatment options. It depends on the underlying cause of your gummy smile. Some of the alternative treatments include:

1. Root planing and scaling – are dental procedures for treating periodontal disease. Root planing and scaling can be ideal solutions if your gums are inflamed, giving the illusion of a gummy smile.

2. Orthodontics – wearing braces and other orthodontic appliances can also correct a gummy smile, particularly one caused by a misaligned jaw.