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Gummy Smile and six different ways to correct it.

A healthy and beautiful smile is not just about white teeth. Gums are also a crucial part of your mouth, but you probably don’t want them to show as much every time you smile.

Causes of Gummy Smile:

A well-balanced smile is a perfect smile, though this may differ from person to person. A gummy smile may result due to an imbalance somewhere in the mouth. You can categorize the causes of gummy smiles under 4 aspects. The best dentists in Mumbai believe a discrepancy in either of these may lead to gummy smiles.

  1. The Gums: Often, the gums may extend more than its usual position over the teeth, this may lead to more gum visibility while smiling.
  2. The Teeth: The shape and size of teeth may give the appearance of a gummy smile. In cases where teeth are small may lead to a larger appearance of gums than normal.
  3. The Jaw: larger jaw sizes due to excessive vertical growth or forward positioning of the jaw may lead to gummy smiles.
  4. The lips: Short upper lips and thin upper lips may lead to more visibility of gums while smiling.

Are there any downsides to Gummy Smile?

Gummy smile has minimal health concerns; it’s more of a cosmetic issue. The best dentists all over the globe conclude that most of the patients with gummy smiles are quite conscious while smiling, and do not have a positive impact on their self-esteem. Many people are not aware of the treatment of gummy smiles. According to the best dentists in Mumbai, you can correct this to achieve cosmetic goals.

What are the treatment options?

There are various treatment options to correct a Gummy smile, but what is best for you depends on the cause of it.

  1. Orthodontic treatment

can correct the mild gummy smiles. This is useful if the gummy smile is due to irregular teeth, a bad bite, or some minor jaw problems. These treatments include orthodontic appliances, braces, Invisalign, etc. they can be used to correct the position of your teeth and jaws eventually correcting the appearance of gums.

2.  Veneers or crowns

Some people might have short teeth, this can be due to genetics or wear of teeth with time. Due to which there is more gum visibility. In these situations, veneers or dental crowns can be used as simple solutions to gum visibility while smiling.

3.  Crown-lengthening / gum reduction surgery

If too much gum tissue is covering the teeth or in a situation where teeth are not completely erupted due to some obstruction at bone level. Gum tissue or bone is removed to expose more of the teeth.

4.  Lip surgery

In case of short lip or hyperactive lips which may cause more show of gums while smiling, lip repositioning surgery is indicated that helps in less show of gums.

5.  Laser gum contouring/ Gingivectomy.

You can use dental lasers to remove extra gum tissue over the teeth and reposition the gum to its correct position. It’s a one-day procedure and has good results, but can be done only in case of the extra gum tissue over the teeth.

6. Botulinum Toxin (BT) Injection/ Botox.

Whenever we hear the term Botox, we think of it as a cosmetic correction for wrinkles and smoothening of lines on the face. But did you know it can you use to correct gummy smiles? Journal of clinical and diagnostic research states that you can use Botox to correct excessive show of gums while smiling in cases of overactive lip muscles. Only small doses for the contraction of overactive lip muscles are suggested.

Pro tips

The best dentists in Mumbai explain that there may be various treatment options available for the gummy smile. But, every individual might require different options depending on the etiology of a gummy smile. In certain situations, the dentist can use a combination of these treatment options to achieve the best results. Ask your dentist what’s best for you.

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