Gummy Smile Facial Sculpting

Gummy smiles can be caused by several different factors, many of which come down strictly to genetics. But there are other outside factors that can contribute to changes in your smile over time as well, some which you can control and some which you can’t.

Reasons for or causes of a gummy smile, along with a bonus added fairness factor:

• Your genes and anatomy – Definitely not fair – we have no control over our genetics!
  • Having more gum tissue than others, having small or short teeth, a short or hyperactive upper lip, an improper bite or alignment, hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF), to name a few.
• Hormones, such as from pregnancy or puberty – I know, this one is really not fair!
  • We all have to go through puberty. We get no choice on that one. And pregnancy and having a baby is a goal to a happy life for many people. But just like in every other situation affected by hormones, those pesky hormones can do a lot of bad things to the teeth.
• Certain conditions such as diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, or leukemia or other cancers – As if having medical conditions aren’t difficult enough… Again, not fair.
  • Unfortunately, some conditions do cause problems with enlargement or inflammation of the gums.
• Medication side effects – Not fair to have to take medications. And definitely not fair to have side effects from said medications.
  • There are times where medically necessary medications can cause enlarged gums, which makes for a gummy smile.
• Poor dental hygiene – Sorry, this one is on you but no judgement!
  • Excessive plaque buildup or bacteria from not brushing or flossing, or from improperly brushing and flossing teeth can cause long term effects. Without proper cleaning and dental care, the gums can become vulnerable to inflammation, which in turn can cause the gums to grow over the top of the teeth.

Correcting a gummy smile with facial sculpting or smile enhancement procedures depend upon a few factors, such as the cause of the gummy smile and the extent of the gumminess. The best options can be discussed with your dentist.

For most people, the options are:

• Orthodontic treatment or braces for when the gummy smile is caused by issues such as an improper bite, the jaw is misaligned, or the jaw is sized either too small or too large.
• Surgery, such as removing excessive gum tissue (called Gingivectomy) or repositioning the upper lip. This also includes laser treatment gum contouring, which uses a special laser to remove excess gum tissue while contouring around the top of the teeth to make a natural appearing gum line.
• Cosmetic injections which use either dermal fillers or muscle relaxants to change the lip and tissue around the mouth, effectively bringing the lip down over the excess gum tissue.

Correcting a gummy smile using orthodontic treatment is done using braces that are attached to the teeth until treatment is finished. For jaw issues, this is often the best treatment for correction as it slowly moves the teeth to their ideal location, which corrects for the gummy smile. Treatment can be somewhat expensive.

Oral surgical procedures to correct a gummy smile are available for patients with excessive gum tissue that needs to be removed surgically or to reposition the upper gum to cover the excessive gums. A local or general anesthesia is used to either put the patient to sleep or numb the area and the procedure is performed. Healing takes a few weeks most of the time and the procedure tends to be on the more expensive side.

Cosmetic injections or facial contouring have been a great option for many people with a gummy smile. The procedure is done by injecting small amounts of a filler or muscle relaxant to the lip or smile area. The treatment often shows immediate results and patients have little to no pain. Because of this, it is the preferred treatment for many patients.

Of the available options, facial smile enhancements using cosmetic injections are the least invasive of the procedures. It is also the most affordable.