Rachel – Gummy smile

GUM LIFT AND VENEERS

Rachel suffered from a gummy smile. This usually occurs when a patient talks and smiles they show too much gum above their teeth.

A gummy smile is quite common and there are several reasons why it can occur:

• The gum has overgrown the tooth.
• The teeth are too small.
• A hyper mobile upper lip where the muscle pulls the upper lip up too high.
• Too much/excessive upper jaw (maxilla) which also leads to a gummy smile.

In general, if it is down to the fact the patient has too much gum we can do a gum lift procedure. This is where gum is removed and veneers are placed over the top of the teeth. In a situation of a hyper mobile upper lip, we place a muscle relaxant on the upper lip. That would last for 3 to 4 months, it would mean the muscle would not pull back anymore therefore removing the amount of visible gum showing. That is what we did in Rachel’s case – a combination of teeth whitening, a gum lift with a laser which actually removed some of the gum, followed by porcelain veneers and muscle relaxant treatment.