Some people smile and you can hardly see their teeth, others smile and you see a mouth full of gums.  Of course genetics is the difference, but for those whose smiles are “gummier” than they like there is hope: the gum lift.  It seems like there is a lift for everything else these days, why not your gums as well!  Gum lifts, also called crown-lengthening is a procedure that has been around for decades to treat gum disease; but in the last several years dentists have added it to their cosmetics-enhancing arsenal.  Dentists are raising and/or repositioning tissue and/or bone to lengthen teeth and beautify gummy grins.

The number of gum lifts has increased as the sophistication of a patient's discriminating eye has increased.  Patients want a smile that's straight, bright and white with a minimum of pink. It's no wonder then that the vast majority (80%-90%) of gum lifts are done in conjunction with porcelain veneers.

It is absolutely amazing what a difference evening up the gums or repositioning the gums on short teeth can make.  You can whiten, brighten and straighten your teeth, but if your gum line is up and down or the teeth are too short, it's almost like wasting your money because you most likely still won't have the result you want.  By placing the gum line in an ideal position, everything looks much more in harmony and a lot more pleasing to the eye.

Some patients aren't candidates for crown-lengthening. If you have big teeth, then repositioning the gums up will make your teeth will look even bigger.  Also, those patients whose roots are skinny, tapered or short could, through too much root exposure, compromise the strength of their teeth.  But in many adults their gums never completely receded after childhood.  In essence the full length of their teeth is “hiding” under the gums.  If this is the situation, the technique of a gum lift can significantly improve their smile.

The average length of the upper front two teeth are 10 ½ to 12 millimeters.  Patient’s with short teeth wishing to restore the beauty of their smile can lengthen teeth one of two ways – add to the biting end of a tooth with a restoration (bonding, veneers, crowns, etc.), or move the gums up to expose more tooth structure.  The method chosen depends entirely on how the teeth are positioned in a patient’s smile.  In most situations, it would be a mistake to add to the biting end of a patient’s tooth that has a gummy smile.  They would typically be better served by a gum lift.  That’s why a smile analysis of an individual’s mouth is critical prior to undertaking any cosmetic restoration.  The contours of the gums, the shape of the lips, length of the teeth, complexion, etc. all play a major role in the creation of a beautiful smile.  Have a great week and always drop me an e-mail if you have any questions at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .