Gummy Smile Correction

A ‘gummy smile’ is when your gums appear too prominent in proportion to the length of your teeth. People with gummy smiles often feel embarrassed and self-conscious and try to hide their smile. Twice as many women as men suffer from a gummy smile.

An attractive ‘ideal’ smile is more about how the smile is in harmony with the entire face. The upper lip will sit above the top of the teeth, with symmetry right to left.

Two Most Common Causes of a Gummy Smile

1. Gums that are out of proportion to your teeth and gums that fail to fully shrink back, leaving the teeth partially covered by gums rather than being fully exposed and visible.

2. A hyperactive upper lip where your upper lip appears normal while resting but lifts excessively when smiling exposing too much gum.

Treatments for a Gummy Smile
Gingival Recontouring or gingival sculpting removes the excess gum tissue, allowing more of your natural tooth surface to appear.

Crown Lengthening reshapes the excess gum and bone tissue to expose more of the tooth. This can be done to one tooth or multiple teeth, to even-up your gum line to expose a natural smile.

Botox Treatment can be used to treat a hyperactive upper lip. Botox weakens the hyperactive muscles so the lip doesn’t lift up and expose nearly as much of your gums.

The cause of a gummy smile can be rather involved and it’s important to see a dentist who understands each of the different causes and the best treatment for your situation.

Dr. Erica Elannan approaches each patient with a unique perspective, which ensures that all patients receive the personalized treatment they deserve. Contact our office today for an appointment.

Eliminating Bleeding Gums:

Mouths plagued with periodontal disease often have bleeding gums, a sign of infection and inflammation. Fortunately, osseous surgery can help reduce bacterial load and remove tartar sticking to root surfaces providing a healthy attachment of gums to teeth, thereby eliminating bleeding gums.

Facilitating Home Care:

As the gum pocket deepens, it can become nearly impossible to brush and floss adequately. Osseous surgery reduces pocket size, making it easier to brush and floss and thereby prevent further periodontal disease.

What Does The Procedure Entail

A local anesthetic is used to numb the area prior to surgery. First, Dr Elannan makes an incision around each tooth of the affected area to release the gum tissue from the bone. This allows access to the bone and roots of the teeth. After the roots have been thoroughly cleaned through scaling, a drill and hand tools are used to reshape the bone around the teeth.

Bone is removed in some areas to restore the normal rise and fall of the bone, but at a lower level. Bone grafting may also be necessary to Nill in large defects. If bone grafting is the preferred procedure, a barrier membrane is used to protect the bone grafts healing alongside your jawbone. Next, the gums will be placed back as before and sutured in place. Pain medication and mouth rinses containing chlorhexidine are generally prescribed following the surgery.