A smile is one of the most important aspects of someone's facial beauty. If you have any dental issues, you may feel your smile is not as beautiful as it could be. One of these dental conditions is the gummy smile. A gummy smile shows more gums than teeth.
People with gummy smiles can be self-conscious, covering their mouths when they smile. It can bring down your self-esteem. However, there is a treatment available for patients with gummy smiles. It is called crown lengthening.
What Is A Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile is any smile where the gums are much more prominent than the teeth. The gums are usually so prominent they make the teeth appear very small. The medical term for this type of smile is excessive gingival display.
A smile with more than three millimeters of gingival tissue qualifies as a gummy smile. Over the years, dentists have come up with several solutions for gummy smiles. The type of solution you need depends on the cause of your gummy smile. Consulting with your dentist can determine which solution is best for you.
What Causes a Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile can occur due to several reasons:
Genetics
Out of proportion gums
Small size teeth
Short upper lip
Hypermobile upper lip
Tall face deformity or vertical maxillary excess
Other than the above reasons, some medications can also cause gummy smiles to develop.
What Is Crown Lengthening?
Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure where orthodontists manipulate the gum or gingival tissue. The main aim of the procedure is to expose the bone under the tissues. They cut or adjust the tissues over the lower part of the teeth.
Crown lengthening can be used for two main reasons: to fix a gummy smile or to reveal more bone mass to fit an artificial tooth crown.
Crown Lengthening for Gummy Smiles
As mentioned above, crown lengthening is a minor surgical procedure on the gum tissues. One of the leading causes of gummy smiles is excessive gum tissue obscuring your teeth. If this is the main cause of your gummy smile, crown lengthening is a possible treatment.
Exposing the bone structure hidden under the excess gums and cutting back the gingival tissue helps restore a smile to normal. It achieves this by making the teeth appear longer than they are.
Advantages of Crown Lengthening for Gummy Smiles
One of the main advantages of crown lengthening for gummy smiles is that the procedure only needs to be done once. The process of cutting back and adjusting the gum tissue is permanent. It not only reduces the amount of gingival tissue but can also change the gum line. Sometimes, the gum line may be uneven, affecting your smile. Crown lengthening can make the gum line more symmetrical.
Also, crown lengthening has more benefits than just improving the smile. It enhances the patient's oral health by reducing the chances of tooth decay developing. Cutting back the excess gingival tissue gives more room for the patient to reach parts of their teeth when flossing and brushing.
For more on fixing gummy smiles with crown lengthening, visit Marine Park Periodontics and Implantology at our office in Brooklyn, New York. Call (646) 863-4810 to book an appointment today.
