You can have gorgeous teeth, but you might not like how your gums impact your smile. While the gums are meant to keep your teeth in place and make sure they remain protected, they can also impact the appearance of your smile. If you think you have a "gummy" smile with prolific gum tissue exposed when you smile, you may feel more self-conscious. Some people believe their gums in proportion to their teeth make their smile less attractive. The following are some reasons why your smile may be gummier than you prefer and some things you can do about it:

You Have More Gum Tissue

Those with a gummy smile often have more gum tissue than others. When you have more gum tissue, it can obscure the top portion of the teeth. This extra gum tissue makes your teeth look smaller. To fix this issue, you can have surgery to reduce the gum tissue. This surgical procedure also will reshape your gums and help expose more of each tooth.

Your Teeth Are Not Fully Erupted

Another reason for a gummy smile is the fact that some of your teeth may not have fully erupted. When the teeth are not fully erupted, they appear shorter, and your gums are more noticeable. Normally, the permanent teeth fully erupt when you are a child. However, some teeth do not always come through the gums completely. To repair this issue, your doctor can treat the issue cosmetically with veneers or bonding.

Your Lip Has Hypermobility

You may think you have a gummy smile, but the issue may actually lie with your upper lip. When you smile, the upper lip can rise higher than normal. This is known as hypermobility. You can treat this issue with Botox injections. The injection will paralyze the muscles in the upper lip and help it not rise as high when you smile. You may also opt for a surgical procedure that stabilizes the lip to correct its movement.

Your Jaw Is Misaligned

Another reason why your gums may seem larger is your bite. Jaw misalignment can cause a variety of issues, one of them being a gummy smile. Your upper jaw may be too far forward, causing the gums to appear larger. This can be repaired by correcting your bite through a surgical procedure. You can set the jaw back into proper alignment and help make the gums appear more normal size.

Contact a local dentist to learn more.