Have you looked in the mirror or noticed in pictures that you have more gums showing than teeth when you smile? There are a variety of treatment options to help you enhance your smile and look your best!

What causes a Gummy Smile?

When your gumline covers more tooth structure than it should - it can leave your teeth looking shorter than they are. Some of the common reasons why that happens is-

1. Tooth Alignment- Malaligned teeth can cause the distortion and stretching of the gum tissues around them.

2. Gum Health- In situations such as chronic gingivitis or periodontitis- the gums tend to be swollen and puffy hence covering more tooth.

3. Medications- Certain prescriptions drugs can cause the over growth of gum tissue

4. Pregnancy- Some women may notice sudden gingival overgrowth when they are pregnant due to hormonal changes.

5. Genetics- Observe your parents or other family members and if they exhibit gummy smiles then it has a to to do with natural anatomy of the teeth and jaws.

6. Developmental- It is possible that you have a condition where the teeth have completed eruption however the gum tissues failed to migrate to the correct position causing the gummy appearance.

Treatment of Excessive Gum TIssue

In the past, the conventional treatment included surgically reshaping and removing the excess gum tissue and sometimes even the underlying bone to create a new gumline contour against the teeth. This was a very uncomfortable procedure which required longer time to heal because of how sensitive the gums tend to be. Fortunately in Summit Dental Clinic we use lasers for gum recontouring which offers a minimally invasive option. The biggest advantage of lasers is that they can provide an extremely accurate and predictable aesthetic result with minimum amount of downtime and discomfort.

In PART II we will discuss in detail Laser Gum Recontouring procedure including what to expect as well as the additional procedures which can enhance your smile!