A bright, appealing smile makes an excellent first impression. Your smile can convey a confident, optimistic, and friendly personality without saying anything. If you think your teeth don’t show when you smile, it can make you very uncomfortable. This short article will answer the question, “why do my teeth not show when I smile?”.
In the table below, you can find the factors that may cause you not to show your teeth when you smile, as well as possible solutions for each:
| Problem | Position | Solution |
| Small teeth | Upper | Lengthen your existing teeth |
| Gummy smile | Upper | Cosmetic gum reconstruction |
| Underbite | Upper | Braces, reverse-pull face mask, upper jaw expander, tooth extraction, jaw surgery |
| Long upper lip | Upper | Direct lip lift |
| Overbite | Bottom | Braces, dental aligners, jaw surgery |
Why don’t my upper teeth show when I smile?
In a perfect smile, all of the central and lateral upper incisors, as well as your canines, should be visible. Typically, upper premolars and a portion of your first molar should be visible.
The following factors are the possible reasons why upper teeth don’t show when smiling:
- Small teeth
- Gummy smile
- Underbite
- Long upper lip
Small teeth
Some people are born with short teeth, while others’ teeth gradually shorten as they age. Teeth with a smaller surface area are less visible than those with a larger one.
The teeth and their size are essential features of a beautiful smile, so it’s natural to worry about how they look. If someone’s teeth are too small, they won’t show when smiling or talking, making them look older than they are.
How can I lengthen my teeth?
Fortunately, there are several treatments for people who want to lengthen their teeth.
- Veneers are one of the most common cosmetic dental procedures used to treat people with short teeth. They’re simple to care for and can make a smile look precisely how you want it to.
- Crowns are another treatment option for short teeth that are damaged and weak.
- Dental bonding is when the dentist applies a composite resin to the front of the tooth before hardening it with a curing light. It achieves many of the same results as veneers but is a better option if a tooth has eroded.
- Gum contouring can help If the excess gum tissue is caused to show the teeth small. Gum contouring can be done in a variety of ways, but most dentists use an advanced laser diode to remove a very small amount of gum tissue. This will help to reveal teeth and make them appear longer than they were previously.
Gummy smile
Even if natural teeth are of average length, excessive gum tissue can cause teeth to appear short. This occurs when the tooth-to-gum ratio of a smile is uneven, resulting in excessive gum exposure when smiling.
What are the solutions for the gummy smile?
The solutions to the gummy smile are simple. The first one is cosmetic gum reconstruction. In this procedure, the dentist will use a laser to seal the tissue while the dentist works so that it won’t need stitches. This procedure can reveal more natural teeth, making teeth appear longer and balancing the proportion of the smile.
The second one is crown lengthening surgery. Crown lengthening is another way to raise the visible tooth’s size or height above the gum line by adjusting the bone level. But it’s not always done. If require additional dental restoration work, it is necessary.
Underbite
An underbite is a dental condition where lower teeth extend farther than upper teeth. The patient in this situation frequently has a lower jaw (large mandible) or an upper jaw (small maxilla). When smiling, the bottom front teeth are usually more visible than the upper front teeth in an underbite.
What are solutions for an underbite?
When correcting an underbite, age and the severity of an underbite are two important factors to consider. This problem is easier to solve for teenagers because teenagers’ bones are still growing, but it does not mean that it is untreatable for older people.
Braces: Braces are an effective treatment for underbites. Depending on the severity of the underbite, each treatment option can correct it in a few months or a few years. Braces might not work for everyone. The cosmetic dentist is the best one to determine the best treatment.
Reverse-pull face mask: A reverse-pull headgear will help to move the upper jaw forward with growth, which is critical to do at a young age, thereby reducing or possibly eliminating the need for excessive jaw surgery later in life.
Upper jaw expander: This device will be put across the palate by an orthodontist by using a special key every night to expand the device, which will expand the upper jaw. Through this process, the upper jaw gradually gets bigger until the lower teeth can no longer touch the outside of the upper teeth.
Most of the time, wearing the expander for about a year and then switching to a retainer to help bones grow correctly. Although the expander is effective for teens and adults, it is most effective on children whose bones are still growing.
Tooth extraction: In some cases, the lower jaw does not have enough space for teeth and is overcrowded. It might cause an underbite. Removing the extra teeth by the doctor’s determination, natural space will open for teeth; therefore, it will help to fix underbite,
Surgery: If someone has an underbite because their jaw sticks out much further than usual, a dentist or doctor may recommend orthognathic jaw surgery or Le Fort III osteotomy.
Long upper lip
Some individuals have an excessively long upper lip. When the patient smiles or talks, it is difficult to see their teeth because the upper lip does not come close enough to the base of their nose.
How can I lift my upper lip?
A direct lip lift is an in-office surgery that shortens the “philtrum,” which is the space between the nose and the top of the lip. The procedure makes more pink tissue visible, which gives the lips a fuller, more defined look.
Why don’t my bottom teeth show when I smile?
If bottom teeth do not show when smiling, It may be an overbite. An overbite is a vertical-plane overlap between the top and bottom teeth. While a slight overbite is necessary for a proper bite, it shouldn’t overlap too far: the top teeth should close over and in front of the bottom teeth.
Most overbites are caused by how the jaw or teeth are shaped or how big they are. This could mean that the jaw has too much space or not enough space for the teeth.
How to treat an overbite?
Overbites are common, well-researched, and usually treatable when corrected by a licensed, experienced orthodontist. To treat an overbite, the first solution that may come to mind is braces. Braces is the easiest way to fix it, but doctors may offer other treatments by considering the situation.
- Braces: The most common tool used by orthodontists, braces have helped many millions of people, young and old, achieve straight teeth and beautiful, lasting smiles. Braces gradually straighten teeth out by moving them gently. Make sure to find an experienced orthodontic provider who can use braces to treat an overbite: choose a dedicated orthodontic practice rather than a general dentist.
- Dental Aligners: Invisalign clear aligners are also an excellent choice for correcting overbites. This treatment uses a series of clear plastic aligners, custom-molded to teeth, that slowly and safely move them into their correct positions.
- Jaw Surgery: For severe overbites, jaw surgery is sometimes the best option combined with comprehensive orthodontic therapy. It is very rare, but for those cases that require serious intervention, oral surgery can provide outstanding results for correcting severe overbites.
If you need any other information or need to solve your dental problems, do not hesitate to reach out to our professional team at Dentfix dental clinic.
