The Causes of Gummy Smiles and Effective Treatment Options

We all have things we wish we could change about ourselves. Most people know what it’s like to look in the mirror and think, “if I could wave a magic wand and just tweak this one thing I would.”

Something that a lot of people feel this way about is their smile. Maybe your teeth are crooked or you feel like they aren’t white enough or you feel like you have a “gummy smile”. The list goes on, but what we’re going to focus on today is that last one: a gummy smile.

In fact, you’re probably finding this blog because you searched something like “why do I have a gummy smile?” or “why do my gums show when I smile?” or “how to fix gummy smile.” Well, lucky for you, you're in the right place! 

In this article, we’re going to break down what’s actually going on, talk about when it’s considered excessive gingival display and discuss some potential gummy smile treatment options that might be a good fit for you.

What is a Gummy Smile?

You probably don’t know your gummy smile as “excessive gingival display.” 

You probably know it more as, “I hate how much my gums show when I smile,” or “in this photo I’m really smiling with gums,” or “wow I really have an ‘all gum smile’”

But what constitutes a gummy smile? Is there a rule for it?

Honestly, not really. Some studies have said it’s when 3 to 4 millimeters of top gums show above your upper teeth when you smile. But in reality, a gummy smile is less about the measuring stick and more about how you feel when you smile. 

We’ve heard people describe having a gummy smile in all kinds of different ways: “big gums little teeth” or “short teeth big gums”, or an overall “gummy mouth.” However you want to describe it, the fact remains the same: there’s more gum than you want. 

There’s nothing inherently bad about having more gums showing. In fact plenty of people with big gums aren’t bothered by them at all. However, if you’re someone who has bigger gums and wishes there was a fix, we’re here to tell you that you’re not alone and lucky for you there’s some very real solutions. So let’s keep the train rolling and learn some more!

Why Do Some People Have Gummy Smiles?

The big question: why do some people have gummy smiles and others don’t? Well, there really isn’t just one cause and oftentimes, it’s actually a combination of how your teeth, gums, lips, and jaw work together. 

Genetics and Dental Structure  

For a lot of people, a gummy smile simply comes down to genetics. For example, you might have been born with smaller or shorter teeth. Or maybe you have normal sized teeth, but you just have a lot of gum tissue covering those teeth. In other cases, it could even be a matter of how your jaw developed, with your upper jaw growing longer than normal. This is to say there’s many genetic reasons you might experience that oversized big gums small teeth look. 

Short Teeth and Big Gums

The appearance of having short teeth and big gums could be from something called altered passive eruption. Basically, as your teeth came in, your gums “tagged along” and settled lower on the teeth than what’s typical, leaving more gum and less tooth showing when you smile.

Lip and Muscle Dynamics

Sometimes it isn’t actually the gums at all! Instead, it’s an issue with the lip. In some cases, a shorter upper lip makes it so your lip doesn’t come down quite far enough. In other cases you have a hyperactive upper lip. This just means that your muscles are pulling your lip up extra high when you smile.

In these cases, it’s possible that your gums are actually completely normal, but the muscles in your lips and face make your gums showing while smiling more obvious. 

Jaw Position

When the upper jaw is more prominent or a little bit on the longer side, this can create  a skeletal imbalance which can most definitely create an excessive gingival display. Some people with big gums will feel like their upper teeth or jaw “stick out” and this could be a sign that jaw position is a major cause of a gummy smile. 

Medication and Gum Overgrowth

Certain medications can actually cause gum overgrowth or as we call it, gingival hyperplasia. These medications can lead to large gums or a thicker gum line around the teeth.

Why Do My Gums Show When I Smile? (And How It Affects Confidence)

While in many situations, a gummy smile isn’t a health emergency, it sure can be a confidence emergency. 

When you’re self conscious about your smile, it can have lasting impacts. For example, you might avoid a nice, full natural smile in photos. Or what about when you laugh? Do you cover your mouth? Maybe you don’t feel like your smile matches your personality. These are all valid feelings that many people have and this is why finding a gummy smile treatment can be so life changing.

Imagine being able to smile without overthinking it!

Gummy Smile Treatment Options

There’s a lot of different ways to go about treating a gummy smile, and ultimately it comes down to what’s causing that too much gum smile in the first place. 

Orthodontic Solutions (Braces and Aligners)

If your gummy smile is related to your bite then orthodontic treatment could be the answer to your problems. An example of this would be an overbite that is pushing your upper teeth and gums forward. In this situation braces or Invisalign or other aligner solutions could help. 

An orthodontic solution is a great gummy smile treatment when the root cause is alignment or jaw position rather than the actual gums themselves. 

Gum Contouring/ Crown Lengthening
If the main issue is large gums or high gums covering too much of the tooth, your dentist or periodontist might recommend gum contouring. This procedure also goes by the names of gingivectomy and crown lengthening. 

The procedure is a way to carefully reshape your gum line, exposing more of each tooth and smoothing out uneven gum levels. By exposing more of the actual tooth, it’s turning that big gums little teeth smile into something more proportional.

Sometimes when people ask the question of “why do I have a gummy smile?” it really is as simple as too much gum covering a normal set of teeth. 

Lip-Focused Options (Botox and Lip Repositioning)

The muscles of your upper lip could be the main reason your gums show when smiling. If this is the case, then there’s two potential paths: 

The first option is Botox. These are tiny injections that relax the muscles in the lip that are hyperactive making it so the lip doesn’t lift as high. These results, while effective, are only temporary and really only last about 3 to 6 months. The benefit however, is that it’s less invasive and lets you “test drive” the look before making a permanent alteration. 

The second option is a more long term solution and is called lip repositioning surgery. This is a minor surgical procedure that limits how high the upper lip is able to travel when you smile. What’s great about this solution is that you’re reducing gums showing while smiling long term.

This solution is for the person whose gums and teeth are fine, but when they turn on their true smile they can’t help but show a lot of gums.

Orthognathic (Jaw) Surgery
In more severe cases where the upper jaw is significantly overgrown, orthognathic surgery might be the only way to correct excessive gingival display. In this case you’d be working with both an orthodontist and an oral surgeon to reposition the jaw to create a balanced and natural looking smile that shows teeth instead of mainly gums.

Conclusion

If you’ve ever caught yourself zooming in on photos and thinking to yourself “why do I have these gummy teeth?” or you found this blog cause you typed “how to get rid of gummy smile” into the search bar, well you’re not alone. Being a person with big gums shouldn’t cause your confidence to take a hit. It’s a natural thing that plenty of people deal with and luckily there’s some great solutions out there!

The first step in figuring out what’s causing your gummy smile isn’t to spiral on Google. Instead, get a proper diagnosis by going to an orthodontist. We can look at the full picture: teeth, gums, lips and jaw. We can figure out if it’s more of a muscle issue, a bite issue, if you have too much gum tissue or if it’s a jaw position concern. Even if orthodontic treatment alone can’t correct the issue, we can connect you with trusted partners like a periodontist or an oral maxillofacial surgeon. 

So if you’re in the Phoenix area and you’re frustrated with your gummy smile, then book a consultation today at Blacker Orthodontics. Let’s get to the bottom of what’s going on and figure out the best gummy smile treatment plan for you and your smile.