Have you ever wondered if your full smile could show only your beautiful teeth and not the gums? Have you tried to hide your smile because of the gums being very prominent on smiling? If this is exactly what is bothering you, we have a solution to fix your ‘Gummy Smile’.

Gummy smile is characterized by excessive display of gums on smiling. A normal smile comprises of 2/3rd to 3/4th of the teeth being displayed and the rest covered by the lips over it. However, the presence of more than 2-3mm of gum display as a continuous band on speech or normal smiling is a characteristic of gummy smile and may cause unaesthetic ap-appearance. The presence of gummy smile is more predominant in females as compared to males. It is also carried over generations and has a hereditary inclination.

Gummy Smile - Don't Bother, It’s Easy To Fix By Dr Kritika Jingad

Causes Of Gummy Smile:

  • Short/ small teeth
  • Strong upper lip muscles
  • Increased vertical growth of face
  • Crooked teeth
  • Short upper lip

In all the above-mentioned situations, there is an excessive display of gums on the upper teeth which leads to an extremely unpleasant appearance which may have a social and psychological impact on a person. The good news is that it can be treated and brought to normal.

The procedure for gummy smile correction is known as ‘Lip Repositioning Surgery’

Lip Repositioning surgery is a cosmetic surgery in which the lip is attached at a level closer to the teeth so that the gums display is reduced on smiling. After considering you medically fit for the procedure, your dentist would schedule an appropriate appointment for the same.

A local anesthesia would be applied on the gums after which your doctor would cut off the excess gum display and stitch back the inside of the gums close to the teeth. The entire procedure would take 30-40 minutes. You will be able to see the results instantly, however precautions need to be taken not to stretch the muscles too much which may cause the stitches to loosen or break. Soft and bland diet would be preferred for 2-3 days after the procedure. After a week, your doctor would call you back for an evaluation and to remove the stitches.

The repositioning of lips to treat gummy smile is a safe and a predictable outcome to treat gummy smile. This has been the gold standard treatment for gummy smile and is widely practiced by dentists since 1977.

It is a fairly simple cosmetic procedure which can contribute to a whole lot of difference in the appearance of a person. The overall personality and confidence of a person is seen to be boosted by a beautiful smile.

 Dr. Kritika Jangid is a Consultant Periodontist and Implantologist with Clove Dental, New Delhi
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