Simply put, a “gummy smile” results when too much gum tissue is showing. This excessive gingival display can negatively affect the aesthetics of your smile.

However, a gummy smile can be fixed through various treatments, depending on the cause. Read on to find out more about the causes of a “gummy smile” and the treatments available to help reveal your beautiful smile, including laser contouring.

Causes of a Gummy Smile

There are several causes of a gummy smile, but most are genetic. Here are three of the most common culprits.

Too long gums

If your tooth length, lips, and upper jaw size are normal, it could be that your gums are too long. A periodontal probe is used to determine if you have long gums.

The expert orthodontist at PureSmile can perform an evaluation to tell you if your gums are too long. If this is the case, periodontist surgery is recommended to remove the excess gum tissue.

Upper jaw too long

When you have an overgrowth of the upper jaw, you are likely to have a gummy smile. Your upper jaw may be too large, which makes your gums appear to be bulging.

If your lip length, muscle activity, and length of the gum tissue are normal, then your gummy smile can be due to the positioning of your teeth. Your jaws may be in a normal position, but your teeth could be too long.

Alternatively, your teeth could be the right length, but your upper jaw is overdeveloped. If your jaws or teeth are long, then braces can solve the problem. However, if there is an excess amount of gum displayed, then the entire jaw has to be moved upward.

Upper lip too short

If all factors are normal, then your upper lip may be the cause of your gummy smile. It could be that your upper lip is too short or too active. Your gummy smile might be due to inadequate lip length when your upper lip is too short to cover your teeth and gums at rest.

On the other hand, if the lip length is normal at rest but lifts too high whenever you smile, then you could have a hyperactive lip. If the rest of your face is normal, changing the upper lip will make your face too short. There are less invasive procedures, such as Botox. However, these only give you temporary results.

Laser Gum Contouring to Correct a Gummy Smile

At PureSmile, we’ll carefully evaluate the cause of your gummy smile and provide an accurate diagnosis. Our dentist will examine your gums, teeth, and mouth to determine the extent of the damage. This examination involves digital impressions of the gums and teeth. An X-ray could also be done to fully examine the tooth roots.

Our experts can determine if you are a good candidate for laser contouring. Laser contouring is used to reshape your gum line and improve the proportion between your gum tissues and teeth. The tissue that remains is reshaped to allow more of your teeth to be exposed and thus prevent a gummy smile.

How is laser contouring performed? This cosmetic dentistry procedure removes excess gum tissue using light energy from a laser. The procedure is minimally invasive. Best of all, you will not feel any pain. It’s a safer way of removing the excess tissue.

Your gums will be sculpted and excess gum tissues removed to ensure your tooth is visible. This procedure offers a permanent solution to the gummy smile problem. You won’t have to worry about gum tissue again after laser gum contouring.

Gum contouring is an effective way to make your smile look more natural and less gummy. Let the PureSmile team fix your gummy smile. For an appointment at our Shanghai office, contact us.