Plagued by a Gummy Smile? How We Can Help

People are very aware of their smile, since it’s the first thing you usually see when you look at another person. Smile defects can strip you of your confidence and make you unwilling to smile, talk, and laugh naturally.

At Bayside Dental Arts in Queens, New York, Dr. Andrey Ilyabayev and our team are committed to giving you the smile of your dreams. If you have a gummy smile, veneers can provide the even, balanced look you crave.

Anatomy of a gummy smile

Only a small portion of your teeth show. The rest of the upper part of your tooth is covered by gingival tissue (your gums), and the roots are buried deep in the bone of your jaw. 

If your gingival tissue extends over a large amount of your front-facing tooth structure, you can end up with excessive gingival display — what people commonly call a gummy smile. 

Answers for a gummy smile

There are a few different ways to resolve a gummy smile. Some people sign up for laser gum contouring, which uses a precision laser to burn away excess gum tissue and sculpt the remaining tissue around your teeth. 

This can be an effective solution but gum tissue doesn’t regenerate and does creep back along the faces of your teeth with age. You could end up with very little gum tissue showing and long teeth after some years have passed, exchanging one issue for another.

Veneers may be a better option for you. We can shape veneers into the ideal smile to balance exposed gum tissue and front-facing teeth, giving your smile the evenness you long for. Additional benefits of veneers include covering small defects like:

• Small chips
• Esthetic cracks
• Dark stains
• Gaps   
• Crowding 

With veneers hiding every flaw, you can smile with confidence.

Getting veneers

Getting veneers is easy and fast. Here are the steps:

Consultation

The first step is a consultation with Dr. Ilyabayev. He examines your teeth, cleans them if necessary, checks for gum disease, and orders any needed X-rays. 

Preparation

If all is well with your teeth and gums, Dr. Ilyabayev preps your teeth for veneers. This includes shaving a wafer-thin layer of enamel off your front teeth so the veneers lie flat, then taking digital impressions of your teeth, and applying temporary veneers to protect your teeth.

Application

At Bayside Dental Arts, we design the veneers to give you the smile of your dreams. They’re fabricated to fit neatly against your teeth and extend up just enough to cover excess gum tissue. 

Once the veneers are ready, you make one final visit to our office, so Dr. Ilyabayev can cement your permanent veneers in place.

Veneers can last from 5-10 years or even longer before needing replacement. As your gums change shape, we can adjust the design of your veneers to keep your smile looking balanced. 

For more information on veneers, call us at 315-908-0804 or book an appointment online. We’re located in the Bayside neighborhood of Queens, New York City.