Monthly Archives: May 2016

What Causes a Gummy Smile?

ThinkstockPhotos-185147513Have you noticed your smile showing a little bit more tooth or a little bit more gum than before? If you have, chances are, you may have a condition that’s referred to as excessive gingival display, or what’s more commonly known as a “gummy smile”.

A gummy smile can be caused or be a result of the following:

  • The abnormal eruption of teeth may cause an excessive display of your gum tissue. The excess gum tissue may then make the tooth appear much shorter than it actually is.
  • The muscles responsible for controlling the movement of your upper lips could be hyperactive. This could cause your upper lips to rise up higher, exposing more of your gum tissue every time you smile.
  • Irregularities in the growth and development of the upper jaw bone may cause your teeth to show more gums when you smile. For example, if the upper jaws within the gum tissue has some form of excessive bulging protrusion, you definitely would have a gummy smile.

Is a Gummy Smile Just An Esthetic Problem?

The esthetics of your smile is affected by four main factors, which are the shape and size of your lips and teeth, your facial muscles and your gum tissue.

Ideally, a good smile would show as little gum tissue as possible. It is for this reason that those with gummy smiles feel embarrassed about smiling and rarely want to smile.

A gummy smile, though, is not just an esthetic problem. It is possible that behind that gummy smile could be a serious underlying dental condition. For example, if the gummy smile is the result of improper development of the jaw or tooth, it may lead to bite problems that could undermine your oral health in the long term.

How To Fix A Gummy Smile 

The good thing is that there are plenty of available treatments for a gummy smile, and depending on the nature of your specific care, the treatment could be any of the following:

  • For minor cases, same-day laser treatments.
  • Surgical lip repositioning
  • Orthodontic treatment, such as braces, to help move teeth into their ideal positions.
  • Surgical sculpting of gingival tissues, as well as bone, or better known as gum contouring.
  • Maxillofacial surgery for bone repositioning.
  • Crown lengthening to remove excess gum tissue (and if necessary, this includes the bone) to create an even gum line and improve the appearance of one’s smile.

Most of these treatments are available at a general dentist’s or cosmetic dentist’s clinic. However, in worse cases, you may have to go to a periodontist, orthodontist or even an oral surgeon for treatment.

So many factors come into play when it comes to gummy smiles, which is why the first step in having it treated is to see a specialist first. There, the dental professional will check your teeth and gums to see if what the appropriate treatment for your particular case is.

If you’re suffering from a gummy smile, contact Dr. Larry Lieberman, DDS at 727-785-8017 to see what treatment options are available for you. Or visit www.dentist-lieberman.com for additional information.

Dr. Larry Lieberman proudly accepts patients from Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs and surrounding areas.

What Are The Different Types of Wrinkles And How Are They Treated?

facial rejuvenation botox and facial fillersAging and the things that come with it are inevitable, but there’s plenty that you can do to help to stave off the effects of father time for a few more years.

Wrinkles, for example, are signs of aging that you can, or rather, should do something about.

The Different Types of Wrinkles

According to the researchers at the University Hospital of Liege, Belgium and their published study that’s found in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science back in 2006, there are four distinct types of wrinkles that everyone has to face eventually.

These are:

  1. Atrophic Crinkling Rhytids – These fine lines are the result of the loss of elasticity in the skin and are usually parallel to one another. They can show up almost anywhere on the face, as well as the body, but may ‘disappear’ when you move your body.

Treatment: These wrinkles are the result of loss of elasticity in the skin, or the loss of collagen. To help stave them off for a few more years, be sure to protect your skin by applying sunscreen whenever you go out of the house. Also, you can use moisturizers to make your skin look more plump and minimize the appearance of these kinds of wrinkles.

  1. Permanent Elastic Creases – These wrinkles are crease lines that may become permanent over time, especially if you’re always exposed to the sun. Although they show up often on the cheeks, these crease lines may also appear on the upper lips and the base of the neck.

Treatment: Minimizing your exposure to the sun and stopping unhealthy habits such as smoking both do wonders in preventing this kind of wrinkling. Also, if you do have to expose yourself to the sun, be sure to use a sunscreen.

  1. Dynamic Expression Lines – These are wrinkles that are the direct result of facial muscle movement. These are also better known as frown or smile lines and crow’s feet.

Treatment: Botox is a type of injectable wrinkle treatment that these types of wrinkles are known to respond quite well to. Botox injections are available at the dermatologist’s and the dentist’s clinic.

  1. Gravitational Folds – As gravity and time takes its toll on the human skin, it begins to fold and sag and that’s when these lines and wrinkles typically occur. It’s been theorized by researchers that having a plumper face can help minimize gravitational folds compared to that of a lean face.

Treatment: Face lifts and other types of cosmetic surgery are the only options as far as this type of wrinkles goes.

While cosmetic treatment is almost always the best choice, it’s not exactly the cheapest. You can yourself a lot of cash by making sure that you don’t stay out of the sun too long and too often, as well as making sure that you wear sunscreen every time you step out of the house. Also, avoiding habits such as smoking and using cosmetic products, such as moisturizers, can help you in your fight against the effects of father time.

Of course, if you can afford them, you can always go for more ‘effective’ and more permanent treatments such as Botox injections and facelifts.

If you’re interested in facial rejuvenation and would like to know more, contact Dr. Larry Lieberman, DDS at 727-785-8017. Or visit www.dentist-lieberman.com for additional information regarding facial rejuvenation.

Dr. Larry Lieberman proudly accepts patients from Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs and surrounding areas.