A gummy smile, sometimes referred to as Excessive Gingival Display (EGD), involves an excess of gum tissue appearing when a person smiles. This condition makes many patients feel self-conscious about smiling in public and knock their confidence.

What is a Gummy Smile?

When you smile, your lips sweep upward and your eyes crinkle. Although a smile is usually considered the most beautiful human facial expression, for some people this is often affected by an aesthetic condition known as a gummy smile.

As the name suggests, this is when your smile reveals too much gum tissue above the top teeth. For this reason, it is also known as an excessive gingival display.

What is Considered a Gummy Smile?

A gummy smile is not a medical problem, and it’s mainly based on personal perception and aesthetics. Some people may be particularly unhappy with their excessive gingival display, and this is a fairly common issue, especially among women.

Usually, 2 to 4 millimetres of exposed gumline is considered to be disproportionate, resulting in what is now known as a gummy smile. Your personal perception of your gumline is usually affected by the following:

• The shape and height of your teeth
• The angle of your jaw, especially if compared with the rest of your face
• The way your lips move when you smile

Gummy Smile Causes

Your teeth, lips jaws and gums are the key components that dictate the perception of your smile. Since a gummy smile is not considered a medical condition, several factors can cause it, and they can vary for each individual.

Teeth Conditions Causing a Gummy Smile

One of the most common gummy smile causes is the difference in the growth of your teeth. When your gums cover a large portion of your teeth’s surface when you smile, it is called altered passive eruption. On the other hand, there may be cases when the teeth in the front of your mouth have grown in too far, causing a condition called dentoalveolar extrusion.

Another condition called vertical maxillary excess, which is when the bones of your upper jaw have grown longer than their typical length, may be another common cause of a gummy smile.

Lips Shape & Gummy Smile

Several people experience a gummy smile when their upper lip is too short to cover the gums. Furthermore, even if your lip is normal in length when your face is resting, it may still lift too high when smiling, exposing a lot of your gum tissue.

Another common cause of a gummy smile is hypermobile lips, which is when they mode dramatically when you smile, hence exposing your gumline.

Fixing a Gummy Smile without Surgery

Non-surgical gummy smile treatment options include Botox and dermal fillers injections.

Botox (Botulinum toxin) injections are the safest treatment to fix your gummy smile. This is also the less expensive and less intrusive gummy smile solution, which is now very popular among many patients all around the world.

Gummy Smile Botox Treatment

Botox works by temporarily paralysing your elevator muscles. This means that, when you smile, they will not raise your upper lip dramatically.

Botox injections are a safe option to correct a gummy smile and a hyperactive upper lip, since they limit its range of movement, without any surgery involved.

Benefits of Botox for a Gummy Smile

There are many surgical options to address your gummy smile, depending on the causes. However, they can all be expensive, as well as invasive and the healing typically takes weeks.

These are the many benefits of treating a gummy smile with Botox:

• Botox injections only cause a little discomfort
• The recovery is immediate, and you can go home and return to your normal activities as soon as the procedure is finished.
• Botox results are natural and almost immediate.
• Botox injections are always tailored to your natural face shape and adjusted to give you only the best results.

How Long Does Gummy Smile Botox Last For?

While surgeries all offer permanent results, the effect of Botox to fix a gummy smile last for up to six months. The injections will wear off after this time, and you may need to repeat the procedure to maintain your results.

Besides, results are not immediate. It takes up to 2 weeks for the Botox injections to improve the appearance of your gummy smile.

If you are concerned about the drawbacks of the Botox for a gummy smile, speak to The Aesthetics Doctor. We will help you identify the best treatment to help you see a difference in your smile, and always give you realistic expectations.

Gummy Smile Fillers

Another way to fix a gummy smile is by using dermal fillers.

Dermal fillers for a gummy smile are used to plump up your upped lips and reduce the amount of gum shown when you smile.

Get in touch with The Aesthetics Doctor to learn more about our gummy smile fillers options, including lip enhancement fillers.

 Gummy Smile Surgical Treatment Options

There are a number of gummy smile treatment options available, which mainly depends on the primary cause of your problem.

Orthodontics

If the excessive gingival display is caused by orthodontic issues, this can be fixed by orthodontic appliances, or even with veneers or dental crowns. These gummy smile treatments are usually recommended for patients who are also experiencing other issues caused by their teeth.

Based on your condition, your dentist may also recommend other procedures and oral surgery options that involve the removal of extra gum tissue, such as gum contouring (also known as gingivectomy).

Lip Repositioning Surgery

Lip repositioning surgery is an invasive gummy smile procedure that changes the position of your lips relative to your teeth. The results of this surgery are usually permanent, but a relapse could occur for some patients.

Jaw Surgery for Gummy Smile

Orthognathic surgery is a  procedure to balance the length of your upper and lower jaws. This is the most invasive gummy smile treatment option, which usually involves both an orthodontist and maxillofacial surgeon. After the surgery, you will likely need to remain in the hospital for a couple of days, and wear braces to hold your jaw in position while it heals.

A jawline filler can be the best alternative to orthognathic surgery if you are looking for a less invasive option to improve the shape of your jawline.

Non-surgical Gummy Smile Options

If your gummy smile is mild and you are not experiencing any other medical condition, injections of Botox are the best alternative gummy smile option. This is the perfect gummy smile solution for patients who do not like the idea of going under the knife and are looking for a non-invasive way to fix their gummy smile.

Gummy Smile Makeover

The Aesthetics Doctor offers various gummy smile treatments for helping to restore confidence and a smile to be proud of.

Besides, we offer a wide range of aesthetic treatments to improve the shape and appearance of your face, such as non-surgical face lifts, jawline fillers, and cheek enhancement.

Get in touch and request a callback from our team to learn more about our non-surgical gummy smile treatments options.