Is your smile more red than white? Several different factors, including extraordinarily large gums or short teeth, can give your mouth this imbalanced, “gummy” appearance. Even if your teeth are normally sized, large gums can make them look strangely small by comparison. This excess gum tissue can also make your oral health more challenging to manage.

Depending on the reason for a gummy smile, a plan of treatment can usually be devised to lessen the number of gums that show and give you a more normal-looking smile. The exact treatment is best determined on a case-by-case basis, but the following are the most common methods and work for most people: