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Causes and treatment for gummy smiles from Ealing dentists

05-01-2013

A gummy smile is the appearance of too much gum tissue covering the front teeth when a person smiles. Excess gum tissue can make it appear as if the front teeth are shorter or smaller. Having a gummy smile is not detrimental to your physical health, but can affect your confidence and therefore mental health.

Causes of a Gummy Smile

If you have a gummy smile, there could be a number of reasons. Gummy smiles can be caused by:

• Genetic oral and facial development resulting in irregular gum development with protruding gum tissue.
• Medical conditions, such as gingivitis, resulting in excess gum tissue growth.
• Medications, such as Phenytoin, used to treat illness can trigger gingival growth, bleeding gums or excessive gum growth.
• Hyperactive facial muscles causing the upper lip to overstretch.
• Short upper lip revealing more of the incisor teeth and gums.

Treatment for a Gummy Smile

Understanding what causes a gummy smile can help in determining what treatment to have to create a normal gum line and a beautiful smile. A dental or cosmetic professional in Ealing can identify if you have any of the causes resulting in a gummy smile. Getting an appropriate diagnosis with treatment recommendation options is advisable. A number of treatment options are available and include:

• Facial reconstruction to correct causes, such as a short upper lip.
• Gum contouring to remove excess gum tissue growth.
• Porcelain veneers to lengthen teeth and eliminate a gummy smile appearance.

Facial reconstruction is a cosmetic surgery to correct the form and function of the face, which may involve treating both the lips and gums.

Gum Contouring is the reshaping of the gums using anaesthetic, a scalpel and laser devices to remove the extra gum giving you the gummy smile.

Porcelain Veneers are wafer-thin laminates made out of porcelain to fit over and match the colour of your teeth for a natural looking smile, to lengthen the teeth.

These treatments can also be combined with Zoom2! Whitening for a stunning smile, which gives you confidence in both social and business interactions.