Gummy Smile
What Is A Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile is when there is excessive gum or gingival show when smiling. This usually gives a poor cosmetic appearance to your smile.
It may also give the appearance of a long face. Sometimes patients are unable to close their lips at rest and have incompetent lips. When this is severe it is usually due to excessive growth of the upper jaw.
Occasionally mild cases are due to a short or hyper active upper lip.
Gummy Smile Treatment
For mild cases, it may be possible to treat with orthodontic braces, cosmetic dentistry, or Botox injections. However, for severe cases of gummy smile jaw surgery is required.
Surgery aims to reposition the upper jaw upwards to reduce the amount of gum show. This dramatically improves the cosmetic harmony and balance to the face and transforms the smile.
Benefits Of Surgery To Correct Gummy Smile
- Improved cosmetic balance of the face. Jaws and face will look in proportion, giving a beautiful smile.
- Improved lip position allowing patients to close lips at rest. This prevents early damage of the teeth and gums so they will last longer
- Improved breathing and snoring as the upper jaw is repositioned in a way to also improve the airway
- Improved confidence due to the transformational change
