When you look in the mirror, you might often find yourself wondering if you should get certain dental treatments to finally achieve that amazing smile you regularly dream about. One of the common cosmetic problems people want to fix with their smile is a gummy smile. Your gummy smile might make you feel self-conscious and take a hit on your self-confidence. If this sounds like you, you might benefit from gummy smile treatment from Irresistible Smiles.

What is a Gummy Smile?

A gummy smile is when someone smiles and their gums appear more predominant than their teeth. The gums rest lower than they traditionally should. The gummy appearance will make teeth look small or short. When someone with a gummy smile smiles, their gums will draw the attention away from their attractive teeth. Most people don’t like this appearance but only a few actually visit their dentist to fix the problem.

What Causes a Gummy Smile?

Your first impression of your gummy smile might be that your teeth are just short but there are actually a few reasons why you might have a gummy smile.

Excess Gum Tissue

One of the top causes of a gummy smile is excessive gum tissue. When you have too much gum tissue, it makes your teeth look shorter because your gums are actually covering a portion of your teeth that they shouldn’t. Your teeth only partially erupted from your gums. Excess gum tissue can also occur due to a condition known as gingival hypertrophy.

Short or Worn Teeth

Some people have a gummy smile because their teeth are actually too worn or short. This can happen as a result of clenching and grinding your teeth. Genetics can also cause shorter teeth.

Short Upper Lip or Upper Lip That Lifts Too High

Another cause of gummy smiles is a short upper lip. When your upper lip doesn’t have much tissue, to begin with, it will reveal more of your gums naturally. If your upper lip raises too much when you smile, it can also cause a gummy-looking smile.

Jaw Problems

If your upper jaw has an overgrowth (vertical maxillary excess), it can cause your gums to bulge and disrupt your smile proportions.

Top Reasons to Treat Your Gummy Smile

So why should you bother fixing your gummy smile? If you’re happy with your gummy smile, then, by all means, keep it as is! However, most people don’t love the look. After treatment, you can look forward to a lot of amazing benefits. For one, you will feel more confident in your smile. You won’t feel embarrassed every time you open your mouth, smile, or talk in front of others. This new confidence can bleed into other areas of your life too and help you become more outgoing and confident at work. What would you do with more confidence in yourself?

Treating your gummy smile might also help you take better care of your oral health. Once you have a smile you love, you will feel more inspired to brush and floss your teeth and visit us for regular dental cleanings and exams. Your oral health will improve and so will your overall health!

Gummy Smile Treatment Options in San Diego

Fortunately, if you want to treat your gummy smile, we have a lot of options to help you! Before we can recommend a specific treatment, you will need to book a consultation with Dr. Safarian. He will evaluate your smile and determine which option will give you the best results possible.

Gum Lift Surgery

One of the best treatments for gummy smiles is gum contouring, or gum lift surgery. This treatment consists of removing the excess gum tissue from around your teeth. This will expose more of your natural teeth and less of your gums when you smile. The treatment is fast, effective, and relatively pain-free. Dr. Safarian uses a dental laser to make the most precise cuts possible to ensure your results look flawless. The dental laser also feels more comfortable than scalpels, promotes faster healing, and reduces bleeding and infection. Gum lift surgery provides instant results that will last a lifetime.

Porcelain Veneers

In some cases, your gummy smile is the result of having teeth that are too short. In these cases, we highly recommend porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers are thin shells of ceramic material that are bonded over your teeth. They can change your tooth’s shape, size, and color. We can make your veneers longer than your current teeth so that your teeth appear longer. This will take attention off your gums

Orthodontics

The last treatment we might recommend for your gummy smile is orthodontics. Patients who have a gummy smile as a result of jaw problems will need to correct these issues to help their smiles look less gummy.

Get Gummy Smile Treatment in San Diego Today

If you’re unhappy with the appearance of your smile, our San Diego cosmetic dentist can help. Please book a consultation at (619) 656-6785 today to find out which treatment can help you enjoy a confident and beautiful smile.

The post Should I Treat My Gummy Smile? appeared first on Lovebites Dental.

Have you ever referred to your smile as gummy or uneven? If so, you’ve probably been struggling with how to make your teeth look more appealing. Just like an overgrown garden, an overgrown smile still functions but is harder to clean. Additionally, it probably doesn’t look as beautiful as you would like it to. Let your smile shine by removing additional gums that could cause gum disease while upping your smile game at the same time.

With the newest technology, there’s an easy fix for your excess gums! Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Safarian is your man when it comes to removing gums and revealing your wonderful, perfectly aligned teeth underneath. And, if we find that your gums don’t hide perfectly aligned teeth, we can repair your teeth with porcelain veneers or dental implants.

Ultimately, our team at Irresistible Smiles will do anything we can to ensure that you have the beautifully aligned, perfect smile you’ve been dreaming about.

Gum Lift Surgery

We offer gum lift surgery to our patients with uneven or gummy smiles. Using the newest technology, we perform laser therapy in order to remove your excess gums while decreasing the amount of damage to your mouth.

We know that laser therapy sounds a bit scary! However, it’s actually a safer, preferred treatment method in the dentistry field. With laser therapy, your dentist can actually remove cells while sealing the blood vessels at the same time! Furthermore, laser therapy also has the ability to directly target certain areas, removing as little as a few cells at a time. With all these advancements, your recovery time is far quicker as well.

Dental Veneers

If removing your gums reveals unstraight teeth, your next option is  dental veneers. Dental veneers are thin, porcelain sheets that fit on top of your teeth to straighten small or stubby teeth.

Instead of shortening and removing your gums, your dentist would add on porcelain “coverings” to straighten and brighten your smile. This system helps you get the smile of your dreams by adding thin sheaths of tooth-colored substances to your existing teeth.

Your Dentist in Chula Vista

Your smiles can make you proud or bring you down. So, when you look in the mirror, what feeling does your smile bring to you?

If you smile doesn’t bring you happiness and you want to fix it, visit us at Irresistible Smiles. Give us a call in Chula Vista at (619) 656-6785 to schedule an appointment.

The post How Can Gum Lift Surgery Help Your Smile? appeared first on Lovebites Dental.

Gum lift surgery is a type of periodontal surgery often done of improving the esthetics of a gummy smile. It also has other purposes, one of which is increasing the crown height of a tooth to be restored. Learning more about this procedure is a must if plan to undergo the operation. Here are some of the most frequently-asked questions about gum lift surgery.

How is gum lift surgery done?

Gum lift surgery involves cutting off excess gum tissue, usually the gum edge. The cutting instrument can be a surgical knife or laser. Some dentist may also suggest that some bone is removed proportionately to achieve a more permanent result. After the surgery, your dentist will put sutures which will have to be removed after a week. If you have no time for suture removal, you may ask your dentist to use resorbable sutures instead.

Is gum lift surgery painful?

Your dentist will administer local anesthesia, so you should not feel any pain. The effect of the anesthetic drug should last for the entire duration of the procedure, which is usually around two to three hours. Although local anesthesia is enough to keep gum lift surgery pain-free, there are still dentists who prefer using sedation to make the patient more comfortable. Discuss with your dentist if your case is suitable or indicated for sedation.

How many appointments are required for gum lift surgery?

The surgery itself takes only one visit, but follow-up visit is required to monitor tissue healing.  The number of follow-up visit depends on several factors, the most important of which is the patient’s general health.

What are the complications of gum lift surgery?

Like any invasive procedure, gum lift surgery also has its fair share of complications. However, since it is a minor surgery, these complications aren’t as severe as what you would expect from normal surgery. After the operation, there will be some discomfort but this isn’t anything that mild pain medications can’t manage. This discomfort is often due to the swelling of the area rather from the cut or surgical wound itself. Interestingly, however, most patients report numbness of the surgical area instead of pain or discomfort. There may also be slight tooth sensitivity, although it tends to go away on its own after a few days.

To avoid complications it is advised that you get enough bed rest and avoid doing any strenuous activity throughout the day. Take all the medications prescribed by your dentist and follow the recommended diet. Resume any physical activity on the fourth day following gum lift surgery.

When can I resume my normal daily routine?

Patients are able to resume all normal daily activities about four days after gum lift surgery. However, workouts should be postponed until after day 9.

Will I need any restorations after gum lift surgery?

Not necessarily. If gum lift surgery was done only to correct a gummy smile, then restorations won’t be necessary. But it may also depend on other factors such as the current condition of your teeth, as well as how much gum tissue will have to be reduced. If your case is one that requires drastic improvement, then a combination of gum lift surgery and restorative work is often the best solution.

Can a general dentist perform gum lift surgery?

Gum lift surgery is a relatively minor surgery that can be performed on an outpatient basis. It can be done by a general dentist, so long as he or she has the skills and experience required for the procedure. One dentist that you can trust with your gum lift surgery is Dr. Safarian, who is considered one an high-qualified smile makeover dentist.

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Gum lift surgery is one of the most commonly performed periodontal procedures today. Most patients get it done to improve the appearance of their smile, while others may need it in conjunction with restorative procedures such as veneer or crown placement. The goal of this procedure is to remove or restructure the excess gum tissue surrounding the teeth. If done properly, it will make your smile more symmetrical and well-proportioned. If you’re planning to undergo Gum Lift Surgery By Laser Therapy, then here is a guide on how to prepare for your operation, along with some tips on post gum lift surgery care.

Initial Preparation for Gum Lift Surgery

To prepare for your gum lift surgery, the first thing you need to consider is behavior change, as it happens to be the most important element in ensuring a successful long-term treatment outcome. Such change includes forming improved oral hygiene habits, cessation of smoking, and other lifestyle modifications.

Prior to the procedure, your dentist will also perform scaling and root planning to ensure that all plaque and calculus deposits on the root surfaces are removed. Scaling and root planning are often done using hand and/or ultrasonic instruments, though some dentist prefers the use of lasers. This procedure requires the administration of local anesthesia to avoid sensitivity and other discomforts. In addition, occlusal bite therapy may sometimes be necessary as well to stabilize teeth that have been weakened particularly by advanced periodontal gum disease.

Postoperative Care After Gum Lift Surgery

Gum lift surgery is quick and virtually painless, so there are not many complications to be expected. There might be some discomfort, swelling, and in rare instances, bleeding. The discomfort and swelling can be managed by taking anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed by your dentist. Bleeding, on the other hand, can be prevented by switching to a soft diet for the first 24 hours. It is also important to avoid strenuous activities and any habit that can generate negative pressure (i.e. drinking through a straw, spitting, and smoking).

What to Expect After Gum Lift Surgery

After gum lift surgery, your dentist will ask to come back for evaluation after about three to four weeks. This is to evaluate the response of your periodontal tissues to the treatment. You will also be given further instructions about your oral hygiene, and another round of scaling and root planning will be performed as needed. You can expect complete healing four to six weeks after the operation. After that, your dentist will schedule you for regular follow-up appointments, with intervals depending on your response to treatment. Follow-ups are important to prevent infections, monitor gum recession and detect any problems as soon as they appear.

Gum lift surgery, much like other surgical procedures, has its fair share of risks and benefits. Before proceeding, it is important to be aware of what it is and what it entails. If you can, seek a second opinion from other qualified oral health care practitioners. And once you’re sure, see to it that the operation will be performed by a highly-skilled practitioner like Dr. Safarian, who has lots of experience performing cases that require gum lift surgery.

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