What would the perfect smile look like?
The balance between lips, teeth and gums intervenes in the smile. A smile is considered to be aesthetic when the upper lip shows the upper teeth in their entirety and shows up to 2 millimeters of gum on them.
So what happens when my smile does not meet these parameters?
We can have two variants:
Low smile, where all the teeth are not exposed, nor is the gum observed. It generally occurs in patients with “long” lip or older adults with loss of muscle tone.
Tall or gummy smile, the teeth are exposed in their entirety, but an excess of gum is observed on them. This type of smile is an increasingly frequent reason for consultation in daily practice.
How can we correct the gummy smile?
To carry out an adequate treatment, we must first know the reason that produces it:
Short or hypertonic upper lip, is when it moves upward excessively when smiling, exposing a large amount of gum. It is treated on an outpatient basis, with botulinum toxin injections at strategic points, which decreases the force of contraction of the levator lip muscle, avoiding unsightly exposure of the gingiva.
When the gums cover more of the tooth than usual, leaving the appearance of short, square teeth. In these cases, the ideal treatment is an outpatient surgical procedure called gingivectomy, in which part of the gum that covers the tooth is removed, achieving a more balanced gum/tooth relationship.
Low dental position, exists when excessive growth of the upper teeth occurs by not contacting the lower ones. The indicated treatment is to correct the bad dental position with orthodontics.
Long upper jaw, occurs when it grows excessively vertically. This cause entails a more complex surgical treatment to apply, by a maxillofacial surgeon dentist.
A gummy smile is a cosmetic problem that can affect your confidence and appearance. If you are looking for a solution to improve your smile, you can make an appointment at our dental clinic. We will be happy to provide you with a personalized diagnosis and recommend treatment options suited to your needs to achieve a perfect smile.
EME DENTAL STUDIO
Dr. Ana Melina Fernandez, specialist in periodontics and oral implantology
Dr. Marta Perez Omodeo, specialist in orthodontics and jaw orthopedics.
by CEDOC