Excessive Gum Tissue
One of the most common causes of a gummy smile is excessive gum tissue. The gums are the foundation of your teeth and hold them in place. It is natural for your gums to grow over your teeth to help provide them with stability.
However, the gum tissue can become overgrown and actually cover up your teeth. This makes your teeth appear short, and the gumline often becomes uneven. “Shorter” teeth make your gums show much more when you smile and create a gummy smile.
Hyperactive Upper Lip
A hyperactive upper lip is another potential cause of a gummy smile. A hyperactive upper lip happens when the upper facial muscles become overused and tense.
A hyperactive upper lip means your upper lip will raise higher than normal when you smile and expose more gum tissue. However, this is normally most prominent when excessive gum tissue already exists.
Laser Gum Recontouring
A gummy smile can be frustrating because the causes are often out of your control. Thankfully, laser gum recontouring to correct gummy smiles and uneven gum lines.
Laser gum contouring is a minimally invasive procedure where a high-energy laser carefully sculpts your gum tissue to remove excess and fix any uneven gum lines. Laser gum recontouring provides minimal downtime, no sutures or incisions, and sterilizes the treatment site as it works.
Soft Touch Dentistry in Newton and Brighton, MA, is proud to offer its decades of experience and expertise to ensure every patient is comfortable and leaves our office happier than when they came in. That’s why we offer laser gum recontouring as our primary treatment for a gummy smile.
If you’re considering laser gum recontouring, contact Soft Touch Dentistry at 617.782.9250 for our Brighton, MA office or 617.332.8146 for our Newton, MA office to schedule a consultation.
