How To Fix A Gummy Smile

A smile is one of the stars of our face, thanks to its ability to brighten rooms and endear people to us. Feeling self-conscious or embarrassed about your smile can be debilitating, both socially and mentally. One of the most common reasons people feel less than confident about their teeth is a gummy smile. Unlike people with normal gum lines, those with gummy smiles have abnormally high gum lines that become glaringly obvious when they open their mouths. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to fix your gummy smile and achieve the appearance–and self-confidence– you’ve always desired.

Alexandre Amir Aalam, DDS, and Alina Krivitsky, DDS, are expert Los Angeles periodontists who specialize in helping patients achieve the smiles of their dreams. Their practice, located in Brentwood, has helped thousands of people improve their oral health and achieve beautiful teeth. If you’re suffering from the embarrassment of a gummy smile, we encourage you to give us a call at (310) 826-8242 to book an appointment today.

Fixing Your Gummy Smile

For some patients, a gummy smile has nothing to do with the actual length of the teeth. Instead, their teeth are at the correct length, but the teeth are covered by too much gum tissue. Luckily, there are ways to correct a patient’s gums to create a more aesthetically pleasing smile.

Aesthetic crown lengthening is an incredibly effective option for correcting a gummy smile. Each patient is unique and needs customized treatment in order for his or her results to look beautiful and natural. Sometimes a patient’s teeth look short because of either genetics or gingivitis. In either case, crown lengthening surgery removes excess gum tissue to reshape the gum line. As the gum line is reshaped, the teeth become more exposed, creating a more striking, fuller smile. This same surgery can be performed on those with dental crowns as well. The purpose is to reveal more tooth structure in order to keep the crown in place and enhance its longevity. Additionally, crown lengthening may be utilized for teeth that need to be restored due to other harmful mouth diseases and bacteria.

Another way to improve the appearance of a gummy smile is through a procedure known as lip repositioning. The lip repositioning technique is used for patients with a gummy smile who exhibit appropriate crown length, but would still like to reduce the amount of gum visible when smiling. Lip repositioning is generally performed under local anesthesia, and the goal of the surgery is to limit the mobility of the elevator muscles of the upper lip, thus reducing gum display while smiling.

Check out these before-and-after images of some of Dr. Aalam and Dr. Krivitsky’s many satisfied gummy smile patients.

Choose The CENTER for Advanced Periodontal & Implant Therapy

Both Dr. Aalam and Dr. Krivitsky have years of experience helping patients with gummy smiles to achieve more beautiful teeth with aesthetic crown lengthening. Their periodontal practice has helped many people become confident in their smiles. Although the changes yielded may seem small to some, they can have a profound effect on patients’ confidence and self-esteem, helping them succeed both at work and in social situations.

Dr. Aalam and Dr. Krivitsky are the only board-certified periodontists in the Brentwood area. Their goal is to help the residents of Los Angeles maintain their oral health and achieve the more beautiful smiles they’ve always desired. If you or someone you know is embarrassed about smiling because of large gums, give us a call today. We love giving individuals the information they need in order to live the life they want. Contact our office at (310) 826-8242 to book an appointment.

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