Smiling is the best way to connect with people. Few if any people will, after all, approach someone with a permanent scowl or frown. Even so, you might not be as keen on smiling with a less-than-perfect dentition. This means more than just perfectly white, evenly spaced and straight teeth. Your gums also determine your smile’s appeal. If you have excess gum tissue, this will cover your teeth and leave them looking small and not as aesthetically appealing. The common name for this is a gummy smile.
For Townsville residents, orthodontics is not just about straightening teeth. Nowadays, there is also a solution in orthodontics for gummy smiles. The first step in treatment will be identifying the cause of the excess gum tissue so that the management option picked is tailored towards this. The common causes of gummy smiles include abnormal tooth eruption, incorrect upper jawbone development, and overactive upper lip muscles. Here are the typical solutions in dental care for gummy smiles.
Braces
These are the ideal orthodontic solutions if the cause of your excess gum tissue is your jaws’ or teeth’s positioning, such as happens in an overbite. In this instance, the misalignment of the jaws and excess exposure of the teeth makes it seem like you have excess gum tissue. Braces will re-align your teeth and jaws. This way, the visible amount of gum tissue when you smile will be reduced.
Laser Therapy
This is a fast, painless, and comfortable procedure for the treatment of gummy smiles. A topical anesthetic is used to numb your gums before a laser is passed through them to get rid of the excess tissue and reshape the one left to balance your smile. Laser therapy is safe and effective and can be used in patients of all ages. It is often used after your teeth have been straightened using braces so that the reshaping matches the contours of your teeth.
Crowns or Veneers
These are the ideal approaches if the cause of your gummy smile is naturally short teeth. The crowns or veneers are fitted over the teeth to lengthen them and balance your gum-to-teeth ratio. The placement of these cosmetic dentistry solutions is fast and painless and will also solve issues like discolored teeth and minor gaps.
Crown Lengthening
This involves the lengthening and recontouring of your gums and removal of excess gum tissue. In so doing, the teeth are left exposed and appear longer than they initially were. In a few cases, a dentist will also recontour your jawbone to increase the length of teeth that is visible above the gums. Crown lengthening is typically performed when the teeth have not erupted fully and remain obscured by your gum tissue. Before the procedure, a local anesthetic is used to numb the treatment area.
Most people assume that the above treatments for a gummy smile are only cosmetic. Even so, they also enhance the cleaning and overall health of your teeth. After the treatment, you can comfortably and effectively clean your exposed teeth without worrying about bleeding gums.
