Gummy Smile

Gummy Smile correction

Some people show an excessive amount of gums or have an uneven gum outline. Gingivectomy and crown lengthening procedures can be used to correct a “gummy” smile, where teeth are covered with excess gum tissue.

Crown lengthening can help to expose more of the natural tooth. This is achieved by reshaping or recontouring bone and gum tissue. This treatment can be performed on a single tooth, many teeth or the entire gum line, to expose a pleasant, aesthetically pleasing smile.

Here are some of the most common reasons for crown lengthening:

Cosmetic – Extra gum tissue can make teeth look unnaturally short. Removing excess gum tissue can restore a balanced, healthy look and thus improve the aesthetic appearance of the smile.
Dental crowns – Crown lengthening serves to exposed more tooth structure for a crown. This prevents the new crown from damaging gum tissues and bone once it is in place.

Restoration of damaged teeth – Where teeth have been broken beneath the gum line, crown lengthening can be used to prepare the area for a new restoration to correct the damaged teeth.

Crown lengthening is normally performed under local anesthetic. The amount of time this procedure takes will largely depend in how many teeth are involved and whether a small amount of bone needs to be removed, in addition to the soft tissue.

Gum Overgrowth

Some drugs can be associated with gum enlargement. In some cases the overgrowth may subside following an improvement in oral hygiene and the modification of the drug therapy. Surgery may be necessary to remove the excess gum tissue.