What is a “gummy smile” and what should be done about it?
As an orthodontist, I am often the first health care professional to analyze how a child will look when he or she grows up. When I examine a patient’s facial features, I consider both the vertical and horizontal proportions of the mouth. The most common areas of imbalance horizontally involve the maxillas, the bones that form the upper jaw, and the mandible, the lower jaw. The upper jaw can be either too large or too small. If the region from the eyes to the upper lip is too small, the face will appear sunken in and the lower jaw will seem too strong, creating a generally unhappy or sour facial expression. If the upper jaw is too big, the gums will show whenever the lips are parted – producing a gummy smile. The technical term for this condition is vertical maxillary excess. Anything more than a little gum showing above the teeth is considered a gummy smile. Because a gummy smile is caused by a skeletal malformation involving the growth of the facial bones, early intervention is critic
