Specialized Gummy Smile Treatments in Austin, TX
What Causes a Gummy Smile?
There are several reasons for a gummy smile. These are some of the common causes of a gummy smile:
- Abnormal eruption of your teeth: We often see patients with a gummy smile caused by an abnormal eruption of their permanent teeth after losing their baby teeth which allowed excessive gum tissues to develop around the new adult permanent teeth, making them appear shorter than they are, causing a gummy smile.
- The muscle of your upper lip is overactive or hyperactive: Some people have a hyperactive upper lip where the muscles responsible for controlling the skin below the nose can cause your lip to rise farther than usual and expose too much of your gums, creating the appearance of a gummier smile.
- Upper lip that developed too short and reveals too much of your gums even at rest
- How your jaw grew and developed can impact how your smile looks. Typically an overgrowth of the upper jaw, called Vertical Maxillary Excess, makes gums bulge out, creating a gummy smile.
- Altered Passive Eruption is caused mainly by genetic or developmental factors that create excessive soft tissue over the tooth’s surface, creating short square looking teeth and a gummy smile.
- Microdontia (Small Teeth): Teeth that are small compared to the gums due to genetics or wear will create an excessive gingival display.
- Excessive teeth wear and hyper eruption of the upper teeth that are moving downward to continue biting with the lower teeth