I am almost 18 and have for years been extremely self-conscious about my mouth. My gums are exposed about 1/2 an inch when I smile and this makes me nervous when meeting new people or laughing, and extremely hesitant to take a part in any photos. I haven't talked to my parents yet about the possibility of a surgical procedure, for fear that they will cut me off immediately and then even the hope of the procedure would be gone. All I really am sure about is that I don't want to keep hiding behind my hand every time I smile because I am embarrassed by my mouth. What should I do? Could anyone recommend a good doctor(preferably on the east coast)?

Hi,
Surgery would be the only remedy for the gums; and would be, of course, up to the Dental Surgeon to make suggestions.
I am 64 yrs old, now wear dentures, and have been through my life so far with bad gums, bad teeth, and many, many visits to the dentist. But, have never had a problem such as the one you describe.
Do others make any comments about your smile? You know anyone else who smiles like you do?
Since you said you are very self-conscious about it, is there any way you could get over being so self-conscious?
If not, then seeing a Dentist is the only way.
I can't suggest any one particular dentist, but you can ask around in your local area. If your parents don't have dental insurance on you that would cover something like this, or can't pay for it, you might have to wait until you get a good job, with Dental Insurance. But, then again, your insurance might not cover something like this, for looks only.
I do wish you the best, and good luck.

Hello. You need to see an orthodontist first since ortho/braces will be needed in conjunction w/ the oral surg. They can make recommendations for a surgeon that does a lot of these type of cases. They are done frequently but not all oral surgeons do them regularly. Do some research online for your area and then go for consultations. They should cost little to nothing and find someone you are comfortable. The more info you can gather first will allow you to make better questions.

Good luck!

I already had braces for 3 years... I'll need them again?

Its difficult to tell you specifics without seeing you but if you are considering orthognathic surgery(jaw surgery), after the segments of your dentition are moved, they will need to be splinted while they heal(usually brackets and wires). Normally when the segments are moved your occlusion/ the way your teeth come together will not be perfect and again probably will need to be moved w/ braces. At what age was your braces completed? Did you appear "gummy" at that point?

I have always had a gummy smile though I never really noticed it until my braces came off because up until that point, I had a bad overbite and very crooked front teeth. I had never in my life been able to touch my top front teeth to my bottom teeth until about 1 year into the braces. I got braces in the beginning of 6th grade(about 11 or 12 years old) and got them in the middle of 9th grade(14 or 15 years old). I am now in 11th grade and wear a retainer at night. Today, when I look at my mouth, I am reminded of a horse's mouth in the effect that the protruding upper part of the mouth emits. Also, though my teeth are small, and thus could stand to be further exposed by the removal of some gum tissue, my upper lip is 'hypermobile' and just seems to keep going up...

I think you are perfect the way you are. :)

Keep smiling!:D

I asked some of my friends about what they thought of my smile and none of them had really even noticed that my gums showed so much... so tahnks to everyone for your advice etc. and it just doesn't feel like its so important anymore to have gums showing... Hurrah!

Hi I'm 18 too and I had braces for awhile I had an overbite. I've always had the gummy smile. I try to accept it and sometimes I do but then you see the pictures and its so pink not bright and white like you anticipate throughout 2-3 yrs of painful braces. I say I don't mind but like you I try not to smile and people think I'm a when really I am insecure, people tell me its not noticeable to but every time I laugh I stop and think about my mouth not what's funny. I feel insecure to talk too. I know we can either get gum lifts or removed but I like my teeth and that their small. My lips are pouty but then thin when I smile so I want to try the surgery that cuts a muscle then uses stitches to hold down the lip. Its about $2000 sounds painful and Im scared to have my normal pout become flat, like julia roberts top lip. I wish you luck and I wish I could help but I can't even help myself rite now but keep smiling its all about confidence

I grew up with the same problem... I could sort of control it when I smiled but if I started laughing... forget about it! I finally got over the self-consiousness. Later on, as my body grew and changed... its not nearly as bad.. either that, or I just don't care much anymore. Whatever it is now is just part of what makes me... me! :D

I agree... don't change a thing!

I know what beneficial means about the flat lip... my upper lip almost disappears when I laugh or smile... which can't be very nice to look at. It gotten easier to smile when I'm around friends who say they don't even notice it. But... in middle school and throughout most of high school, I was teased a lot so its just hard to let go of insecurities that have been with you for so long. My gums and teeth show exactly the same amount... but I think if my teeth were any bigger it would be too much. So I still don't know for sure... but thank you to everyone who is being so supportive! It really does help to know that other people can relate to this.

Hey, I know where you are coming from!!

My nickname is Gummie!!

People remember be from my nickname, remember my smile...

Just remember that a smile is contagious... whether it is Gummie or not.

I'm still not sure if we got the answer we were looking for? I know I didn't, I appreciate ppl's support saying we will get used to it but I really don't think I will because almost every picture I took in my life I look mentally handicapped due to this big gummy smile with one side higher then the other. I really want an answer, right now I am strengthening the muscle which seems to help but I got a big problem. To strengthen the muscle I either repeat "push" slowly and exaggerated or kind of do the thing to spread your lipstick, like pulling the top lip over the bottom and back I got these from facial exercise websites but I think their supposed to be for stroke victems, but I figure muscle training helps them it should help me too . The dentist said it was a weak muscle partially causing it. As well I had fell and really messed up my gums when I was younger. That's why I would love for a pediodontist, dentist or patient undergoing or done with the hypermobile procedure to come and speak to us theirs plenty of interest so far. Please someone help

Not sure if anyone even checks this now but it looks like the last comment was in Jan. I always had a dramatically gummy smile too. When I was 15 I had periodontal surgery ("gum lift") which created dramatic results! Insurance covered most of it too since excess gum tissue enhances risk for gum disease. It has been 6 years and while I am very happy with the difference this made it's still not perfect. I've been looking into cosmetic gum surgery and have a consultation in 2 weeks. Like you, I feel like just doing another gum lift would make my teeth way too long and would probably expose my bone. I read however that in such cases they can remove the excess tissue and bone and place veneers over the teeth giving you the PERFECT smile. It doesn't matter what other people say to you or what they think, it is how you feel about you. It's 2nd nature for me to cover my mouth when I laugh or smile really big without even noticing it. The confidence from the surgery will make the biggest diffrence of all. Since you are 18 you can get financing to pay for it and will have a lot of options. Consultations are free so I would say talk to a Dr. Just be prepared that (like in my case) more work may be necessary than a simple laser lift. Hope that this is helpful!

Go for it, if it's been bothering you so much, if you have the money, why not!

I have the same problem as yours, I am just waiting until I've got enough money.

You have 2 options. Its going to cost a few bucks - like 3 or 4 G - so maybe start saving ahead of time while you plan your stategy. You can do both options. Option 1 is to see a periodontist or an endodontist (really a periodontist is who you want). They have a procedure called a root lengthening which is used for such things as when a tooth cracks off lengthwise from top to botton below the gum. The endodontist will attempt to build the tooth back up with materials so that a crown or filling can put on it. Part of this procedure requires cutting the gum, and this is where the story begins for you. Periodontists are the gum experts. A periodontist can do the gum part of this routine with the result of pulling back the gumline and exposing more tooth. How far it can be pulled back, if at all, depends on how much tooth is below the gum as well as other aspests. The challenge is that a natural seal around the tooth exists at the gumline which separates the outside world from your body's inner world. THis seal must be maintained (kept). Options to a plastic surgeon inserts a strip in your upper lip which keeps you from being able to raise your lip too much. The strip can be narrow or wide - you choose how much. You can mix both options to make a real change.

My sister had a gummy smile, and recently had it fixed with a "lip lowering procedure." She specifically DID NOT want to get jaw surgery, so this procedure was a great solution for her: a great result with less discomfort, cost and recovery time. You should definitely read more about the different alternatives and get a second opinion before you get jaw surgery.

My sister went to an excellent periodontist who I trust (Dr. Farnoosh) who helped me with my cosmetic problem (dark black spots on gums). She saw him and had the treatment done and her smile now looks a lot better.

Anyone with this problem should definitely read more about lip lowering online, as I said I would recommend my dentist : Link: Dr. Farnoosh: Lip Lowering to Treat A Gummy Smile but whatever you do don't just get a procedure before learning more -- many times your general dentist or general physician might only know one way to fix the condition when there could be many more alternatives -- so you need to do your homework.