Gummy smile (gingival smile) can be found in many people. Although it does not affect overall health and oral health, it causes aesthetic loss and lack of confidence when smiling and in communication. So, what is a gummy smile? What are the causes and treatment methods? Where should one treat a gummy smile? All will be answered in the following article.
We have three types of smile lines: high smile line, medium smile line, and low smile line. When the smile line has a distance of 1-2mm, it is considered a normal smile line. A gummy smile (gingival exposure) is a condition where, when smiling, the upper gums are overly exposed. Or when smiling, if the distance from the tooth root to the upper lip line is over 4mm, it is considered a gummy smile.
Gummy smile is not a pathological condition but a dental flaw that causes a lack of confidence when smiling or communicating.
From a biological perspective, a gummy smile is not a disease, so it does not affect oral health. However, aesthetically, it is a flaw, even unattractive for the overall face.
There are many causes that lead to a gummy smile, including:
Jaw structure: The upper jaw develops excessively, pushing the entire upper jaw area forward, resulting in a gummy smile. This condition is often accompanied by an overbite. In the long term, the bite may be misaligned, affecting chewing function, so doctors often recommend braces for treatment.
Disruption in tooth eruption: This is a congenital cause that occurs during the development of teeth, resulting in teeth that are shorter than normal. This is a fairly common case.
Lip defects: Usually due to congenital defects or injuries from accidents, the lip may be lifted, or due to strong lip muscle tone, causing the gums to be exposed when smiling.
Excessive gums: This is a rare case for those unfortunate enough to suffer from congenital gingival hyperplasia, and changes in the body during pregnancy can also lead to an unappealing gummy smile.
There are many causes of gummy smile, such as: overdevelopment of the upper jaw, disorders in the tooth eruption process, defects in the lips, and gingival hyperplasia…
Based on the actual condition, experts classify gummy smiles into 4 main levels:
Mild gummy smile: This is when the gums are exposed by about 3 - 4mm but less than 1/4 of the tooth length. Moderate gummy smile: When the distance from the tooth root to the upper lip line is from 4-7mm and less than 1/2 of the tooth crown length. Severe gummy smile: When smiling, the gums are clearly visible and longer than 1/2 of the tooth length (about 8 mm). Extreme gummy smile: This is when the gum portion from the tooth root to the upper lip line exceeds 8mm when smiling, even equal to or exceeding the length of the tooth crown.
Experts classify four levels of gummy smile
Some treatment methods that the doctor may prescribe are as follows:
Braces - Orthodontics: For cases of gummy smile caused by jawbone issues, braces provide the most accurate bite alignment.
Jawbone surgery: This method is applied when the gums and jawbone are overdeveloped, causing the teeth to be pushed out and the gums to be prominently visible when smiling. The doctor will recommend cutting the jawbone and then repositioning it inward to help the jawbone become balanced.
Gum contouring: In most cases where the gums are overdeveloped and cover the tooth crowns, the doctor will recommend trimming the gum margins to lengthen the tooth crowns.
Combination of multiple methods: If there are multiple causes for the gummy smile in one treatment case, the doctor may combine several methods to design a perfect and proportionate smile line.
Images of customers treated for gummy smile at Nu Cuoi Duyen Dental Clinic.
Nu Cuoi Duyen Dental Clinic is one of the long-standing reputable addresses for treating gummy smile in Ho Chi Minh City. For the fields of health care and treatment, 90% of the success conditions are in the hands of the doctor. An experienced doctor will diagnose the correct treatment plan, see which current condition is most suitable for you.
At Nu Cuoi Duyen, Specialist Doctor 1 Pham Vu Thuat is formally trained, and has many years of experience in treating gummy smile, trusted by customers both domestically and internationally, completely satisfied
Specialist Doctor 1 Pham Vu Thuat
Related qualifications
What will customers get when treating gum recession at Duyen Smile Dental Clinic?
How much does a minor surgery to correct a gummy smile cost?
Điều trị cười hở lợi giá bao nhiêu cũng là vấn đề mà mọi người quan tâm. Tùy vào tình trạng của quý khách, sẽ có từng bảng giá khác nhau cho dịch vụ chữa cười hở lợi. Giá trung bình cho dịch vụ này từ khoảng 1tr5-3tr cho 1 răng. How much does a gummy smile treatment cost is also a matter of concern for everyone. Depending on your condition, there will be different price lists for gummy smile treatment services. The average price for this service is from about 1.5-3 million VND for 1 tooth.
Currently, Nu Cuoi Duyen is having a huge promotion program for customers, prices from only 750k for 1 tooth