Q: I noticed a woman at my church the other day that has a smile that was all gums, and barely any teeth, like a widemouth bass fish. How can she be helped?
A: I recommend lemon wedges and a white wine. You’re as bad as me; checking out everyone’s teeth at your local house-of-worship! We just can’t help ourselves. I’m sure tailor’s do the same thing: “Look at that hemline! It’s Sunday mass; what is she thinking?!”
Treatment options:
- If only the gums have overgrown, and no bone-involvement exists, we use a diode laser to remove the excess gingiva under local anesthesia followed by porcelain veneers if you want to change the color and appearance of your teeth.
- If the bone between the teeth is also in excess, we perform crown-lengthening surgery which involves opening a flap, reshaping the bone and suturing the gum back to a higher position, allowing the lip to drape down and hide the gum line.
- If you are not in need of any cosmetic dental procedures such as veneers or crowns, we can inject specific muscles to the left and right of the nostrils with Botox to stop them from pulling up your lip when smiling or speaking.
Dr. JJ: (suggestion: explain causes of the gummy smile: meds, skeletal vs soft tissue, high lip line, genetics?? Any other treatments you know about. Check Chat GPT?)