GINGIVAL SMILE
Type: Disease
What is a gingival smile?
The gingival smile is a deformity characterized by excessively showing the upper gum when smiling. That is, it occurs when the proportions of the teeth, gums and upper jaw are not in harmony.
Depending on the size of the gum that is shown, there are different levels of severity of the gummy smile:
- Mild: when between two and four millimeters of gingiva are shown.
- Moderate: when four to six millimeters of gingiva are shown when smiling.
- Severe: when more than six millimeters of gum are shown when smiling.
What are the symptoms?
Its main symptom is that the patient shows too much upper gum.
Causes of gummy smile or why does it occur?
The causes of gummy smile are a series of factors that act together. They include, among others:
- Having teeth that are too small
- Excessive gums
- Overdeveloped upper lip elevator muscle
- Overgrowth of the upper jaw
- Tooth wear that has unbalanced the tooth to gum ratio.
What is the treatment?
The gummy smile can be treated by surgery called gingivectomy, which consists of removing excess upper gum. The operation is performed under local anesthesia and is also indicated for the correction of the maxillary bone.
It can also be treated by myotomy, which is a small surgery to weaken the levator muscle of the upper lip located between the gum and the lip.
When the teeth are too small, they can be augmented with veneers or crowns.
When the origin of the deformity is in the contraction of the lips, the problem can be solved with botox, although it is a temporary and reversible treatment.