Ever noticed how much gum shows when you smile? There’s a name for it. A gummy smile is the everyday term for a smile where a noticeable band of gum sits above the upper front teeth, and it’s a normal variation for many people.
Most people spot it in a photo and wonder what causes it and whether a dentist can do anything about it. The answer depends on the cause. It can come down to the gums, the teeth, the lip or the jaw, and what your dentist can suggest follows from that.
Important Information: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. Treatment suitability, outcomes and recovery vary between individuals. A personalised consultation with a registered health practitioner is required to assess your individual circumstances and discuss relevant risks, limitations and alternatives.
What Is a Gummy Smile?
The clinical name for a gummy smile is excessive gingival display. There’s no single agreed measurement for it. A 2024 review of the research put the range used across studies at roughly 2 to 4 mm of visible gum above the upper front teeth.
What Can Cause Excess Gum When Smiling?
There’s often more than one factor at work.
This table is a general guide, not a treatment recommendation, and an assessment often reveals more than one factor.
Understanding “Cosmetic Teeth Surgery”
“Cosmetic teeth surgery” and “cosmetic dental surgery” aren’t names for one particular procedure. They’re umbrella terms for treatments that change a tooth’s shape or the position of the gum line. Gum contouring and crown lengthening sit under that heading. Something like whitening doesn’t, because nothing is reshaped.
At Blackburn Family Dental, we offer a range of cosmetic dentistry services, including procedures that involve the gum line.
What Does “Gum Lift Dentist” Mean?
“Gum lift” is an informal term sometimes used for procedures that alter the gum line. It doesn’t refer to one standard dental procedure. Whatever it’s called, an assessment comes first, and it may find that no procedure is appropriate.
Where the position or amount of gum tissue is a factor, gum contouring is one approach your dentist can talk through with you.
Understanding Gum Contouring and Gum Reshaping
Gum contouring, also known as gum reshaping, involves removing or reshaping selected gum tissue to change the gum line.
Reshaping the gum tissue alone may be an option. If the underlying bone also needs to be addressed, a procedure such as crown lengthening may be considered.
What Happens During Gum Contouring?
The exact steps vary depending on the area being treated and the procedure planned.
The dentist starts by examining your teeth, gums and the tissue that supports them, and planning where the gum line would change.
Local anaesthetic may be used to numb the treatment area. The planned amount of gum tissue is then reshaped or removed using a technique appropriate to the procedure. Stitches may also be needed.
Before proceeding, your dentist should explain what the proposed treatment involves, its potential risks and limitations, the alternatives and what recovery looks like.
Recovery After Gum Contouring
You may get tenderness, soreness or swelling afterwards. Your dentist will provide aftercare instructions based on the procedure performed. This may include choosing softer foods temporarily and modifying how you brush or floss around the treatment site.
Recovery time depends on the extent of the treatment, whether any bone was involved, and how quickly you heal.
As with other surgical procedures, complications can occur, including bleeding, infection, delayed healing or changes in the gum tissue during recovery. The risks relevant to your proposed procedure should be discussed with you beforehand.
Other Gummy Smile Treatment Options
If the cause is tooth position, bite, tooth shape, or something structural, gum reshaping isn’t the answer, and other approaches are the ones to consider.
- Teeth straightening: If tooth position or the bite is contributing, braces or clear aligners may be considered. These treatments change tooth position over time rather than reshaping gum tissue.
- Cosmetic dental bonding: Where the shape or size of the teeth also matters, bonding is considered separately. Composite resin, a tooth-coloured material, can change parts of a tooth’s shape but doesn’t remove gum tissue.
- General dental or gum care: If there’s inflammation, swelling, or another gum health concern, it usually needs to be addressed and managed before any cosmetic procedure is considered.
- Further assessment or referral: Where jaw structure or another factor requires care outside the treatment being considered at the clinic, referral to an appropriately qualified practitioner may be recommended.
Your Initial Consultation
An initial consultation can help identify the cause and whether treatment or a referral is worth considering.
Your dentist will generally review your dental and relevant medical history and examine your teeth, gums and bite. They may also look at how your teeth, gums and upper lip sit together, both at rest and in a full smile.
Depending on what they find, they may recommend photographs, dental X-rays, or other records to show more of what is happening with the teeth and the tissue around them.
Your consultation may cover:
- whether the gums, tooth position, bite, lip movement or jaw structure are involved
- which surgical or non-surgical options might apply
- the risks, limitations and alternatives associated with those options
- what treatment and recovery may involve
- what happens if you decide not to proceed
It’s also your chance to ask questions and take in the information before you decide whether to go ahead.
Discussing Your Options at Blackburn Family Dental
If you’d like to know why more gum shows when you smile, an assessment is where to start.
Blackburn Family Dental has been part of the Blackburn North community since 1953, and our dentists have substantial experience across general and cosmetic dentistry. The clinic is open six days a week. You can book a cosmetic dentistry consultation with us to talk through your concerns and the options that might suit you, including whether care outside the clinic would be appropriate.