Gummy Smile
It creates aesthetic problems when the gum appears more than 2 mm during smiling. Ideally it is normal 1-2 mm for gums to appear, especially in the upper jaw, where the front teeth appear to be excessive, it’s called gummy smile.
Diagnosis & Application
There are many reasons for gummy smile:
1- Overgrowth of the gums due to some drugs
2- Gingival diseases, poor oral hygiene, restoration edges positioned inside of the gums
3- Short upper lip
4- Excessive bone growth on the outer surface of the upper jaw bone
5- Some hereditary diseases
6- Short tooth appearance due to abnormal wear on teeth (atrision)
Treatment varies from patient to patient. While a single method can be used, multiple methods can be used to achieve better aesthetic results.
Gingivectomy: cutting of the gums,lengthening of the teeth. The effect is permanent, with little gain.
Botox: it is applied to the muscles that pull the lip up during the smile. The effect disappears when the botox effect wears off.
Repositioning of the lip: It is the removal of the lip from the intraoral mucosa by surgery and positioning the lip further down.
Cutting the muscles that pull the lip up: The effect is permanent, it can cause loss of function.
Maxillofacial surgery: It is performed in cases where gummy smile is too much and cannot be corrected by other methods. The upper jaw can be shortened to desired size.