A beautiful smile often comes from the harmony between the lips, gums and teeth in the mouth area. The condition of exposed gums when smiling can make you lose confidence and be afraid to smile even though you have a pretty face. There are many methods to treat gummy smiles, applied to each case and different levels of gum exposure. Let’s find out more with BeDental!
WHAT IS GUMMY SMILE?
Gummy smile is a condition in which the gums are exposed too much when smiling (more than 3mm from the base of the teeth to the lips). In terms of aesthetics, a beautiful smile should only expose 1-2mm of gums when smiling fully. Gummy smile is not a disease of the teeth and jaws, so it does not affect health. However, smiling with too much gum causes loss of facial aesthetics, making many people feel self-conscious and afraid to communicate.
LEVELS OF GUMMY SMILE
GUMMY SMILE IS DIVIDED INTO 4 LEVELS FROM MILD TO SEVERE:
Mild:
The exposed gingiva is more than 3mm, less than 25% of the total length of the tooth.
Moderate:
The exposed gingiva is more than 25% and less than 50% of the total length of the tooth.
Severe:
The exposed gingiva is more than 50% and less than 100% of the total length of the tooth.
Very severe:
The exposed gingiva is more than 100% of the total length of the tooth.
CAUSES OF GUMMY SMILE
GUMMY SMILE CAN BE CAUSED BY THE SAME CAUSES AS:
1. Due to teeth
The tooth growth process is slow, the tooth does not grow completely, causing the tooth body to be short, square and small, causing a loss of symmetry between the height of the tooth and the gum. In addition, gummy smile is also due to mechanical tooth wear, the biting edge is worn away when in contact with the opposite tooth for a long time, causing the alveolar bone and gum to move towards the tooth body, making the tooth body short and the gum exposed.
2. Due to bone
The jawbone develops excessively, causing the bite to be misaligned, the teeth are pushed out too much (protruding) and the gums are exposed. Or the alveolar bone is too thick, causing the gums to be pushed forward, also causing the gums to be exposed when smiling.
3. Due to gums
The gums grow excessively, becoming long and thick; the gums are attached low, covering more of the tooth body from the root of the tooth; Gingival hypertrophy due to pathology such as gingivitis can cause gummy smile.
4. Due to the lips
A short upper lip or excessive lip muscle tension causes the lips to be pulled up and expose a lot of gums when smiling even when the ratio between the gums and the teeth is balanced. In general, there are many causes of gummy smile. Although it does not affect your health, you should still fix your gummy smile as soon as possible to become more confident when smiling.
WAYS TO TREAT GUMMY SMILE
CURRENTLY THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO TREAT GUMMY SMILE CORRESPONDING TO EACH CASE AND LEVEL
1. BRACES
For cases of gummy smile accompanied by deep bite or buck teeth, doctors apply braces to move teeth and reduce the distance from the lip edge to the tooth neck, reducing the gummy smile.
Advantages:
High safety.
There are many cases where braces help “shrink” the gums by 2 – 4mm, improving the aesthetics of the smile.
Disadvantages:
The time for braces is quite long, on average 24 months or more.
2. SURGERY
Surgical methods to treat gummy smiles include:
Lip lift surgery or lip lengthening surgery:
In cases of gummy smiles due to a short upper lip, surgery is performed to lengthen the upper lip, controlling the lip from being pulled up too high when smiling.
Gingivectomy surgery:
In cases of excessive gum growth due to congenital causes or low and hypertrophic gums, the doctor will perform surgery to remove some of the gum, making the gum margin thinner and less exposed when smiling.
Jaw bone surgery:
In cases of gummy smiles due to excessive jaw bone growth, the doctor will perform gummy smile surgery along the Le Fort I fracture line.
Alveolar bone grinding method:
Applied when gummy smiles are due to excessively thick alveolar bone – the most complicated case among the causes of gummy smiles when smiling. At this time, the alveolar bone will be ground down a little on the edge and the outer surface of the alveolar bone. After grinding, the gums will be sutured to reshape as before.
– Advantages:
Highly effective and long-lasting.
Safe, few complications.
Gentle post-operative care.
– Disadvantages:
In general, surgical methods to treat gummy smiles are specialized techniques, requiring
to be performed by a good doctor who is knowledgeable in both dentistry and aesthetics.
3. COMBINED TREATMENT
– For some cases of gummy smile, the doctor needs to combine 2 treatment methods at the same time to bring about optimal results, specifically:
Braces combined with gingivectomy:
Applied in cases of gummy smile due to abnormally long teeth, the customer needs braces first to pull the sunken teeth up, then proceed with gingivectomy.
Gingivectomy combined with alveolar bone grinding:
2 combined treatment methods due to thick gums and alveolar bone.
– Advantages:
High efficiency, significantly improves smile aesthetics.
– Disadvantages:
Requires to be performed by a good doctor.
High cost.
COST OF TREATING GUMMY SMILE
Depending on each tooth condition, after examination, the doctor will advise you on the appropriate solution with corresponding costs.
GUMMY SMILE TREATMENT PROCESS AT BEDENTAL
- Step 1: Consult with a specialist to determine the cause of gum exposure and develop an appropriate treatment plan. If gum surgery is required, your doctor will order a blood test to prepare for the minor surgery.
- Step 2: Perform gum surgery. During the procedure, you will be anesthetized to feel comfortable, at ease, and pain-free.
- Step 3: Re-examination. After 7-10 days, you will be scheduled to return to BeDental for a re-examination and wound examination with the doctor.
ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT TREATING GUMMY SMILE
1. Is gummy smile surgery dangerous?
In fact, whether gummy smile surgery is dangerous or not depends on the technique: For example, if braces are used incorrectly to treat gummy smiles, it will cause toothache, damage soft tissue or risk of tooth pulp death, and alveolar bone loss.
For gummy smile surgery methods, there is a potential risk of post-operative pain, bleeding, infection at the gum incision site, or periodontitis if the customer does not take care of the wound or eat properly.
Note: after gummy smile surgery, if the customer experiences the following signs, they should see a doctor immediately:
– Pain lasting for many days, the level of pain increases.
– Uncontrollable bleeding.
– Loose teeth after eating.
– Bruised gums.
– Sutures come loose.
– General symptoms: fever, fatigue, vomiting, hives…
To avoid the above complications, it is best for customers to go to a reputable dental facility – where there is a team of good doctors: carefully examine and establish a suitable treatment plan for gummy smile, perform the correct technique and follow standard dental procedures.
2. Is gummy smile treatment painful, how long does it take?
BeDental Dental Clinic gathers leading, experienced doctors who have successfully treated, bringing confident, healthy smiles to many customers. Customers after treatment at BeDental all responded that it was painless, comfortable and extremely satisfied because the doctors were very attentive.
Understanding that equipment is one of the important factors that bring a positive treatment experience, BeDental constantly updates modern machinery and cutting-edge technology. In gummy smile treatment by gum cutting method, laser technology is applied with a modern laser machine instead of the previous electric knife surgery.
Laser technology will limit bleeding and infection after surgery while stimulating rapid healing and reducing swelling and pain for customers. After only 1-2 days or even less, you will feel comfortable returning to your daily activities. Compared to minor surgery with an electric knife, laser technology brings a gentler, smoother and safer treatment experience for customers. In addition, the international standard sterilization process at BeDental along with high-end sterilization equipment ensures safety and minimizes cross-infection between customers. The sterile space is designed to be open with clear glass so you can comfortably visit and place your trust.
IMAGES OF CUSTOMERS TREATMENT AT BEDENTAL
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