Ever Heard of “Gum Laughing”?
When some people smile, there will be a lot of gum tissue above their upper teeth. This is what we often call “gummy gum”, also known as laughing gum. People who are labelled “gum laugh” will feel lack of self-confidence, which will actually inhibit the frequency and even the number of smiles. However, the clinical effect of this smile is getting better and better.
What is a cheeky laugh?
Medically speaking, when you laugh, your upper lip can’t completely cover your teeth, your gums are obviously exposed, and in serious cases, even the gingival sulcus will be exposed, which looks very shameful.
Of course, the boundaries are still blurry at first glance, right? Here is a simple and rude explanation: It is not that the gums are exposed even when they are laughed, but the gums are generally exposed as “gummy gums” when the amount of gum exposure is greater than 3 mm when smiling or laughing.
1) Slightly exposed gums: The part of the gums exposed when smiling does not exceed 25% of the crown length;
2) Moderate gingival grin: The part of the gum exposed when smiling is 25% -50% of the crown length;
3) Deep chewing smile: The part of the gum exposed when smiling is 50% -100% of the crown length;
4) Severe gingival smile: The part of the gum exposed when smiling exceeds 100% of the crown length.
Gummy humor refers to the presence of excessive gums in the upper jaw during a laugh. In order to cover the gums, many patients cover their mouths when they laugh, or just keep smiling. The inability to laugh can also affect the patient’s confidence indirectly. Let smiles form obstacles and scruples in my heart. There are more than one cause of smiling gums. Clinically, different causes need to be given corresponding treatments. The causes and diagnosis of exposed gums will be summarized and introduced below.
Excessive maxillary bone hyperplasia: Patients with overly maxillary bone hyperplasia are obviously characterized by normal tooth size, but there will be excessive gum exposure when laughing, because the problem of laughing gum comes from the position of the bone, if the symptoms are mild, The correction of the incisor can be improved by using correction and human bone nails. Severe patients need to undergo orthognathic surgery to have a better improvement.
Excessive gum covering: In patients with excessive gum covering, the maxilla is in the correct position, but because the gums do not normally shrink up as they grow, or because external forces such as correction push the incisors into the teeth, the gums cover the normal teeth that should be exposed. Part of it, cause the gums to show up when they laughed. This type of patient has short teeth. Because there is no bone problem, as long as the beautiful gingival growth surgery can achieve great results.
Combined gum and maxilla problems
Most gingival smiles will not have a single problem. Usually, the deviation between bone and gum is combined. The treatment method is based on whether the position of the bone or the gum is a big problem. If the problem of the bone is large, it is inclined to perform orthognathic surgery. ; If the problem of gum position is large, it can be solved by crown growth.
Medical beauty solution
In some medical beauty clinics, botulinum toxin is applied to the upper lip muscles so that the upper lip cannot laugh, thereby solving the problem of showing gums when laughing. This is a concealing therapy. The advantage is that it does not require surgery and is effective immediately. It is suitable for patients who have raised their upper lip excessively when they laugh.
Orthodontic treatment (orthodontics)
If crown extension can’t treat gingival smile, the cause may also be “cavity” and “open lips and teeth”, which can be solved by orthodontics. The principle is that by lowering the anterior teeth, the alveolar bone and gums will also move with the teeth, so as to change the position of the gingival margin and achieve the effect of changing the exposed gums.
However, this method is relatively slow, it takes some time and energy, and it is still difficult for those who have severe gum exposure. Whatever the reason, you need to make a proper assessment and have a frank discussion with your dentist about your specific needs.
