At Roberts Dental and Facial Rejuvenation, every smile makeover and cosmetic case takes multiple aspects of your appearance into account. After all, a beautiful smile needs a gorgeous frame to go around it. Sometimes, part of that frame is the gingiva (gum tissue) next to our teeth. Excessive tissues or low gumlines can cause what most people refer to as a gummy smile; when they grin, more pink shows than anything else. Even if your teeth are healthy and bright, you may feel self-conscious about how they look.

Gummy Smile: Diagnosis is the First Step Toward Treatment

Before it’s possible to treat a gummy smile, we need to know what’s causing it. Usually, it’s one of the following issues:

• Tight Lips — Tense or hyperactive muscles in the upper lip can draw it further upward when you smile, so that both teeth and gums appear when you’re posing for a photograph.
• Malocclusions — Misaligned teeth and jaws can cause the upper front teeth to protrude more than the lower ones, stretching the upper lip and making it difficult to close or naturally rest in a way that covers the gums.
• Low Gum Margins — Genetically speaking, some people tend to have teeth that are covered more by their gums. Or, other medical conditions have caused excessive gingiva growth.
• Attrition — Severe tooth wear and bruxism (grinding) can make teeth flatten and shorter than they once were.

How to Treat or Manage a Gummy Smile

After our Tsawwassen and South Delta, BC dentists understand how your natural anatomy is affecting the aesthetics of your smile, we can arrange a treatment plan to address your gummy smile, the issues and improve the way your teeth and gums look.

We may suggest one or a combination of the following therapies:

Botulinum Injections

Cosmetic injectables such as “Dysport” or “Botox” are natural muscle relaxers. When injected into the small muscles that lift and retract the upper lip, they decrease how far up the lip comes when you smile or laugh, causing it to cover the gingiva underneath. Most people tend to see results for up to 3-6 months after an application, making it easy to fit in during your routine checkup appointment. Drs. Jan and Warren Roberts educate other dentists and physicians on how botulinum toxin is used both therapeutically and cosmetically through their teaching organization, the Pacific Training Institute for Facial Aesthetics.

Soft Tissue Laser Treatment

Laser dentistry is a safe and effective way to create new gumlines and uncover teeth with excessive gingiva around them. A laser gum recontouring procedure only requires one appointment and causes little to no discomfort. Rather than conventional gum surgeries, lasers provide a minimally-invasive solution with faster results. 

Braces / Orthodontics, Oral Surgery

In some cases, it’s necessary to realign the upper teeth and jaws through orthognathic surgery or orthodontic therapy (braces.) Sometimes even both. Dr. Jan Roberts will fully assess all aspects of your oral anatomy to determine if this type of therapy is necessary.

Roberts Dental and Facial Rejuvenation in South Delta and Tsawwassen, BC offers therapeutic and cosmetic dental options that enhance your smile’s beauty and health. Call 604-943-3343 or book a consultation online to find out which type of gummy smile treatment is right for you.