Gums Showing

[CowFish]

Hello and Happy New Year! Seems like a long time since I did any reading here.

I did some reading some months ago on another site that explained how abnormalities in the development of the skull and jaw cause obstructive sleep apnea. Today my family had a discussion about people who have an excess amount of upper gum showing, like the otherwise beautiful lady on the right in this photo.

Does anyone have information about this, what causes it, is there anyway to correct it and is it even considered an abnormality?

[palerider]

I figured she just had an more enthusiastic smile.

[Sir NoddinOff]

I usually see that in photographic pictures of people ... in real life it doesn't seem to be so extreme. Maybe just trying hard for the camera, plus it usually seems to be in photographs of ladies. I don't view it as off-putting at all. Never heard of this theory of skull development before, so count me dubious.

[Nozzelnut]

Typically called a gummy smile. Can be fixed with orthognathic surgery. May be part of a bad bite and other orthodontic problems. When the jaws are misaligned it can impact the airway; influencing OSA.

ETA Just from the pic it looks like she has a bit of a deep bite and over jet(over bite), slightly too large upper jaw, and probably a slightly too small lower jaw.

[tan]

I encountered recently a few arcticle about improper tongue posture and, as a consequence, improper facial development, which includes the "gum showing", and health-related host of issues such as SDB

[ChicagoGranny]

Yes, it is an abnormality and can be corrected in many cases with surgery or appliances.

There are several possible causes of gummy smile, including:

An excessive display of gum tissue in your upper jaw can result from the abnormal eruption of the teeth. Teeth covered by excessive gum tissue appear short, even though they may actually be the proper length.

The muscle that controls the movement of your upper lip could be hyperactive, causing your upper lip to rise up higher than normal. When this occurs, more of your gum tissue is exposed when you smile.

The manner in which your upper jaw bone grew and developed could cause the appearance of a gummy smile. For instance, if there was an excessive bulging protrusion of the upper jaw within the gum tissue, you would experience an obvious gummy appearance when you smile.

The cause of gummy smile in the lady in the photo appears to be an abnormal protrusion of the upper jaw within the gum tissue, but I am far from an expert on this.

abnormalities in the development of the skull and jaw cause obstructive sleep apnea.

That is correct and it accounts for the great majority of OSA cases.

I had never connected OSA and gummy smile but that would be a good subject for research.

[Therapist]

Never heard of this theory of skull development before, so count me dubious.

I hope that long before your posts count got to 2400, you understood that OSA is primarily a problem of craniofacial development?

https://www.google.com/search?q=craniof ... leep+apnea

[CowFish]

Typically called a gummy smile. Can be fixed with orthognathic surgery. May be part of a bad bite and other orthodontic problems. When the jaws are misaligned it can impact the airway; influencing OSA.

ETA Just from the pic it looks like she has a bit of a deep bite and over jet(over bite), slightly too large upper jaw, and probably a slightly too small lower jaw.

Thank you Scott. I also got your PM. Lots of reading for me. We did not know it is called gummy smile and as soon as I googled "gummy smile" I got lots of hits.

[CowFish]

OSA is primarily a problem of craniofacial development

Absolutely.

[chunkyfrog]

I just hope this thread has not started a gum-shaming meme.

[Logies101]

Sorry but I don't feel it was right to post this person's pic for all to comment on and scrutinize. I mean the OP could have just blocked out the upper part of her face and still have been able to make their point. Posting one's OWN pic is a personal choice but she apparently had no say in the matter. Hope she doesn't come across this thread. JMHO

[CowFish]

Sorry but I don't feel it was right to post this person's pic for all to comment on and scrutinize. I mean the OP could have just blocked out the upper part of her face and still have been able to make their point. Posting one's OWN pic is a personal choice but she apparently had no say in the matter. Hope she doesn't come across this thread. JMHO

How do you know I am not the lady with the gummy smile?

[Logies101]

Sorry but I don't feel it was right to post this person's pic for all to comment on and scrutinize. I mean the OP could have just blocked out the upper part of her face and still have been able to make their point. Posting one's OWN pic is a personal choice but she apparently had no say in the matter. Hope she doesn't come across this thread. JMHO

How do you know I am not the lady with the gummy smile?

Obviously only you have the answer to that but I'm betting most people would not put their own pic out on a public forum for others to scrutinize without cropping from the nose up. Not trying to start an argument here as I'm not in to that sort of thing, Just giving my thoughts when I looked at the post.

[Sleeprider]

Never heard of this theory of skull development before, so count me dubious.

I hope that long before your posts count got to 2400, you understood that OSA is primarily a problem of craniofacial development?

https://www.google.com/search?q=craniof ... leep+apnea

Nice attack! But not only completely off-topic, but incorrect as well. Seems to be a pattern with you.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Obviously only you have the answer to that but I'm betting most people would not put their own pic out on a public forum for others to scrutinize without cropping from the nose up. Not trying to start an argument here as I'm not in to that sort of thing, Just giving my thoughts when I looked at the post.

You might lose that bet, Logies. See viewtopic.php?f=1&t=80379&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=pictures