A “gummy smile” can be fixed with a gum-lift or crown-lengthening

Gummy smile, perio-plastic surgery
Before:

Normal length to width ratio of natural teeth

The patient did not like the artificial "Chiclet" appearance to her crowns and didn't like her gummy smile.  She also did not like the fact that the edges of her upper teeth were always digging into her lower lip. A major cause for these crowns to appear artificial is that they are no longer than they are wide.  Natural unworn teeth tend to average a width 75-85% of their length.

Gum surgery, gum lift, crown lengthening
After:

Correcting a gummy smile

To improve the length to width ratio, teeth should either be lengthened or the gumline should be raised.  The choice was easy in this circumstance. The patient had a "gum lift" and new dentistry consisting of bridges, implants, and crowns.  A gum lift enabled us to raise the exposed teeth up so the edges no longer were laying on the lower lip.