What Causes a Gummy Smile?

Have you ever felt like you were showing too much gum when smiling? If so, you might be wondering why. Though every smile is beautiful, cosmetic dentists refer to a smile as “gummy” when more than one eighth of an inch of gum tissue is showing.

In today’s blog, we’ll share the common causes of gummy smiles. If you want to learn more, get in touch with our team at Bluff Creek Dental. We offer the best cosmetic dentistry in Minneapolis to help you enhance your smile.

Too Much Gum Tissue

Excess gum tissue could be covering your teeth, causing the appearance of a gummy smile. This can be resolved with crown lengthening. This is a periodontal plastic surgery procedure that involves reshaping your extra gum tissue to expose the full length of your teeth.

Small Teeth

Teeth can emerge from your gums at different heights. Some teeth can grow shorter than others, making them appear small in relation to your gums. To remedy this issue, cosmetic dentists can add a cap or crown to your teeth. Capping or crowning involves covering the teeth with porcelain veneers so they appear larger

Hypermobile Lip

A hypermobile lip rises farther, causing more gum to show when you smile. If you have a hypermobile lip causing a gummy smile, modifying the muscles that control your lip can alleviate how high your lip rises. You can modify these muscles with botox shots or with surgery.

Enlarged Jaw

An overgrowth of the upper jaw can also cause a gummy smile. Sometimes the upper jaw can protrude, causing more gum to appear under the upper lip when you smile. If you have an overgrown jaw, you can reposition your jaw with orthognathic surgery to reduce the amount of gum shown when smiling. 

If you want to learn more about the common causes of a gummy smile, get in touch with our team at Bluff Creek Dental in Minneapolis today! Our trusted cosmetic dentist can help you find the best dentistry procedures to adjust and enhance your smile.