Gummy smileGummy smile
There are three causes of a lot of gum showing when you smile: the gum covers the teeth, the upper lip rises a lot, or the upper jawbone itself is long. A different cause means completely different treatment. At Wonjin Dental Clinic, we first check which of the three applies.
On this page
First, we look at the cause
Two cases can look the same and still need different treatment if the cause is different. If you fix only the shape and leave the cause, the same problem usually comes back in the same place.
If a lot of gum shows, is it because of the gums?
Most often, the gum is covering the teeth. The teeth are a normal length, but the visible part is short.
After the teeth have fully come in, the gum should move back to where it belongs. Sometimes it does not, and it keeps covering the upper part of the teeth. The teeth are not short but hidden, so removing the covering part shows their full length.
This is when
Your front teeth look especially short and square. The height of the gum line differs from tooth to tooth and is uneven.
Then
We reshape the gum line. But we also need to check how far up the bone reaches. If only gum is removed and the bone is left as it is, the gum grows back to the same place.
What we look at first
Can the gums show again even after gum surgery?
Yes, if the cause is the lip. If your upper lip rises a lot, the lip just rises that much further after the gums are reshaped, and the gums show again.
This is when the muscles that lift the upper lip when you smile are strong. The gums and teeth are normal, but the lip rises higher, so the gums show. In this case, removing gum means treating a place that is not the cause.
This is when
At rest there is no problem at all, and the gums show only when you smile widely. When you smile, your upper lip becomes very thin.
Then
We do not touch the teeth or gums. We look for a way to reduce how far the lip rises.
What we look at first
Can worn front teeth make more gum show?
Yes. The gum has not grown. The teeth have become shorter, but it looks the same from the outside.
When the edges of the front teeth wear down from grinding or wear, the teeth get shorter, and the gum takes up a larger share by the same amount. Removing more gum here makes the teeth look longer, but it exposes the root side, which becomes sensitive and weak. The treatment goes in the wrong direction.
This is when
The edges of your front teeth are flat, and both upper and lower front teeth are short. Compared with photos from when you were younger, the length is different.
Then
Instead of reducing the gum, we restore the lost tooth length. We also look at the force that wore the teeth down.
What we look at first
Can it be because the upper jawbone is long?
Yes. In this case, treating the gums or lips does not change it.
Here it is neither the gums nor the lips. The upper jawbone itself is long downward. It comes from the proportions of the whole face, so a great deal of gum shows, and many of the upper teeth show even when you are not smiling.
This is when
Many of your upper teeth show even when you are not smiling, and the lower part of your face looks long. The band of gum that shows is about as wide as the teeth are long.
Then
This case is beyond what Wonjin Dental Clinic treats. If that is our judgment after the exam, we will tell you plainly and let you know where to go.