Gummy smile: everything you need to know

Although it is not a disease, in our culture it is considered outside the canons of beauty.

One of the important points for a smile to be considered beautiful is the exposure of the gums, although other aspects are also taken into account:

• If it is symmetrical on both sides
• The margins of the central teeth are located at the most prominent point of the smile.
• Ideally this line should follow the line of the upper lip to avoid gum exposure.
• The upper lip should touch where the teeth meet the gum. An exposure of 2 mm of gingiva is accepted as aesthetic.
• The incisor line is parallel to the lower lip line.
• The dental occlusion is good.
• The teeth are undisturbed.

Causes of the gummy smile:

Although the causes may vary, the clinical diagnosis is always the same.
The causes that can lead to a gummy smile are:

• Abnormal eruption of the teeth:
  • Teeth appear smaller due to excessive gum coverage.
  • The treatment in this case is gingivectomy.
• Bony cause:
  • Excessive protrusion of the jawbone into the gum tissue.
  • Treatment in this case is orthognathic surgery.
• Short upper lip:
  • The distance considered aesthetic from the subnasal point to the upper edge of the upper lip is 20 to 24 mm.
  • It is considered short when the distance is less than 15 mm.
  • Treatments can be:
    • Orthodontic surgery
    • Exercises started as young as possible and orthognathic correction at maturity.
    • BTX-A with or without HA
• Muscular cause:
  • Due to hyperactivity of the levator labii superioris muscle and nasal ala. As the muscle works harder, the upper lip is lifted higher than normal.
  • Hyperactivity of the nasal septal depressor muscle which lowers the nasal tip and stretches the nasal tubercle.
  • Hyperactivity of the zygomaticus minor contributes to upper lip elevation in severe cases of gummy smile.
  • Treatment with protein relaxant may provide a good solution.

Types of gummy smile according to gingival exposure:

The criteria we follow to establish a proper diagnosis are:

• Facial symmetry, dividing the face into two parts by a line passing through the glabella, nasal spine and chin.
• The size and proportion of the lower third of the face, due to bony excess or defect.
• Overjet. The distance in mm between the mesial angle of the upper central incisors and the correspondence with the lower central incisors in a horizontal plane.
• Overbite. The distance in mm between the mesial angle of the upper central incisors and the correspondence with the lower central incisors in a vertical plane.

Treatment

If the cause of the gummy smile is muscular in origin, which is the majority of cases, it can be treated with a few small injections into the muscles that have increased activity. This is sufficient for these muscles to relax and the lip to lower and cover practically the entire gum.

There are some cases in which it is also necessary to put hyaluronic acid in the lip so that the result is better and more balanced.

Treat your gummy smile at Clínica Escoda

Don’t let a gummy smile stop you from fully expressing your joy. Contact us today to schedule your consultation and find out how we can help you get the balanced, confident smile you deserve.