There’s nothing more beautiful than a radiant smile, is there? However, people who show too much gum when smiling, which is commonly referred to as a gummy smile and is perceived by many as less aesthetic, often find this a shameful issue with a high level of suffering. In this article, we explain exactly what gummy smile means and how the problem can be solved with a simple treatment.
What is a Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile is a smile in which there is an uneven relationship between the teeth, gums and upper lip and in which an above-average amount of gum tissue is visible. Normally, the upper lip contour only reaches the gum line when smiling – but in a pronounced gummy smile, it usually ends more than three millimeters higher up. Due to the clear visibility of the gums when smiling, gummy smiles are also called gummy smiles. The term “gummy smile” itself comes from the English word “gum” and “smile”.
Fortunately, a gummy smile does not affect the physical health of those affected, but in many cases the aesthetic effects lead to psychological stress.
Possible causes of a gummy smile:
- Teeth that are too small
- An upper jaw that is too long
- An upper lip that is too short
- Overdevelopment of the lifting muscle of the upper lip
- Adhesion of the upper lip and gums
An overly pronounced lifting muscle of the upper lip is the cause of a gummy smile in most cases and can be treated very easily.
What can you do about a gummy smile?
The most sensible and, fortunately, simplest method of correcting a gummy smile is treatment with botulinum. A tiny amount of this highly effective agent is injected specifically into the muscle areas of the upper lip, which directly reduces their activity so that the upper lip rises less when smiling and therefore less gum is visible.
The treatment is minimally invasive and only takes a few minutes. You can find more information about the targeted treatment of a gummy smile correction on our treatment page.
If you would like to find out more about the possibilities of modern dental esthetics, be sure to visit our new UNIQSMILE® treatment area.
