What causes a gummy smile? Developmental or genetic influences can play a part. If the upper jawbone is much larger than the lower, your top lip might appear overly stretched, resulting in an excessive display of gum tissue when you smile. Sometimes upper lip muscles are over-active, hoisting the lip up too far. For other individuals, at the time their permanent teeth broke through the recession of previous gum tissue remained incomplete. Now their teeth might appear disproportionately small in relation to their adult face.
Certain medications are also known to cause “gingival hyperplasia”, in which too much gum tissue is produced. Occasionally too, previous orthodontic procedures have been blamed for “gummy smile” issues. Whatever the case may be, the fantastic news is that a correction is possible!
Consult with Dr. Jackson today and learn how this cosmetic dentist for Chicago has brought beautifully balanced and contoured smiles to countless sufferers of the “gummy smile”.