A gummy smile is one that shows an excessive amount of gum tissue. Ideally, when a person smiles, only a little portion of the gum that frames the teeth is seen. Heredity generally plays a major role in the development of gummy smiles, although certain medications for blood pressure may also cause the gums to grow larger.

In a gummy smile, the upper gumline is displayed prominently, making the teeth appear smaller and the lips thinner than they actually are, and the smile somewhat crooked. No matter how white and well aligned your teeth are, excessive gingival display distracts from an otherwise attractive smile. The gummy smile becomes the focal point and the rest of the face’s fine features are overshadowed. A gummy smile treatment corrects this problem by removing the excess gingival tissues to make the gumline appear less prominent.

The fact that a gummy smile treatment involves cutting away gum tissues may frighten those who are unfamiliar with the procedure, but actually, a gummy smile therapy is less complicated than it seems. The availability of laser technology ensures a virtually painless treatment with minimal bleeding, no stitches and less downtime. Using the laser, the dentist sculpts and reshapes the gums to achieve the desired size or length.

The gum contouring process to eliminate gummy smile is usually carried out under local anaesthesic, which means that the patient is conscious throughout the procedure. The dentist first numbs the area to be treated and then starts cutting away small sections of gum tissues.

If you suffer from a gummy smile, see a dentist who is well qualified and experienced in gummy smile treatment so he can assess the extent of the problem. He will outline to you the steps involved to treat your gummy smile, as well as the cost of the treatment. In severe cases of gummy smile, standard gum contouring may prove insufficient and may instead require bone tissue reduction. This procedure is more complex than gum contouring; hence, the cost will be higher, but it guarantees that the gum tissue will not grow back to its former state.

If the expenses involved are well beyond your budget, there are dental clinics that offer customised payment solutions for patients. A gummy smile is definitely unattractive and you may have self esteem issues as a result of this condition, so this problem should not be ignored. Patients who have had gummy smile problems in the past report that they were so pleased with the results of the treatment that the expenses and downtime involved seemed insignificant compared to the benefits of having a beautiful and radiant smile.