aeb09 Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 Question for those who have had it done - how was recovery? How was the pain? I've never had any cosmetic surgery (just one small surgery on my face to remove skin cancer for which I was awake with local anesthetic). I've had small teeth my whole life, inherited from my mother, and I'm really self-conscious about them. They told me about this when I was maybe 13/14 but was too scared. Thanks in advance.
bagmataz Posted October 20, 2012 Posted October 20, 2012 Oh! I never heard of this before- can I ask my regular dentist if this can be done? Or are there specialists ?
jinete11 Posted December 2, 2012 Posted December 2, 2012 For those of you who have had it done can you post before/after pics? I'm considering lasering it but my teeth are already kind of large....if I got rid of some of the gum wouldn't that make my teeth even larger? Also, when I smile my upper lip kind of curls under/folds under. Any thoughts on if lasering may work (if this is a similar story to yours)? One Ortho suggested I get actual jaw surgery but it just sounded like she wanted to make a lot of money off an unnecessary surgery. I heard about this procedure from that link someone had posted earlier. The lasering worked really well for her but she didn't have the same characteristics/flaws I have to begin with (tooth size, lip curling/folding). For the poster who mentioned smell-how long did that linger? Did anyone else notice the smell or were you just hyperaware of it?
vanillax Posted January 9, 2013 Posted January 9, 2013 You can correct a 'gummy smile' with jaw surgery, on your upper and lower jaws. Go see a Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon, they specialise in this area so that'd be able to inform you more about the procedure. It's a very BIG surgery though, and you will have a lot of swelling in your face afterwards. But in the end, you won't have a gummy smile anymore and there'll be a huge improvement in your side profile
stylishfarmer Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 I have a gummy smile too AND big teeth so if I get some of the gum lasered off I will look like a horse. I asked my dentist, he said for me, jaw surgery was the way to go. It's so extreme but I have been thinking about it for the last couple of months. Hate my nose too. It's got a bulbous bit on the end which just attracts more attention to my stupid gummy smile. Grr, hate being ugly
mypreciousss Posted January 15, 2013 Posted January 15, 2013 Hi guys I'm a dentist so thoug I could offer so advice. Correcting a gummy smile can be done in a few different ways; the simplest being Botox which is placed under the nose in order to depress the muscles around the mouth so you are unable smile to your previous extent. A gingivectomy Is another way which either involves lasering the gums to reposition them or surgically repositioning them if the case is more extreme Lip repositioning which involves surgically repositioning the lip Or maxillofcial surgery to correct discrepancies in jaw height. Hope this was helpful Good luck !x
ajadsbeauty Posted January 15, 2013 Posted January 15, 2013 I also have a very gummy smile, which I have been very insecure about from a young age. I recently visited my dentist to enquire about 'Invisalign' thinking it would solve the problem, however my dentist said I would need Maxillofcial surgery. I have no idea what this surgery involves but it sounds very invasive and incredibly painful. @Mypreciousss - thanks for the info, I had no idea Botox could be a solution. I'm going to enquire about this asap.
stylishfarmer Posted January 16, 2013 Posted January 16, 2013 Could you tell us more about lip repositioning ,please? This sounds like it might be for me,
hanalymi Posted January 19, 2013 Posted January 19, 2013 It's true that if you have gummy smile, others will find it really distracting when listening to your story. When you tell something and laugh, instead of paying attention to the content, they keep staring at your gum. So I always have to restrain it while laughing. But most of the time I just forget it and have a big smile. Lol
amkur Posted January 20, 2013 Posted January 20, 2013 A gummy smile can be treated with a couple of Botox injections to relax the muscle that pulls the lip upward with smiling. It usually takes about 4 units a total and lasts 3-4 months.
cynz Posted August 29, 2013 Posted August 29, 2013 I heard from a friend and also read that holistic orthodontics can correct facial bone structures resulting in a less gummy smile. It's not invasive and typically it expands the jaw palette by using some type of wiring. I found the following blog on the web.http://prettyinprimal.blogspot.com/2011/05/epigenetic-orthodontics-building-better.html The particular apparatus my friend's children use is called ALF but I've read there are a few different apparatuses used by dentists. Is your gummy smile due to overcrowding or a prominent overbite?
stylishfarmer Posted August 31, 2013 Posted August 31, 2013 Thanks so much! I read this and was just nodding the whole way through! I just knew there was more to my bad posture and awful profile and constant headaches . I get so upset no dentist EVER picked up on these issues. Seriously !! My gummy smile is horrible. Thank goodness my children don't have it. My little boy has a bit if a gamy thing happening but if it bothers him, I'm sure as heck going to get it fixed for him.
)
Recommended Posts