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Cosmetic dentistry

Gummy smile treatment

A gummy smile has four distinct causes, and each needs a different approach. Gum contouring is only correct where the cause is excess gum tissue; where the cause is the jawbone or the lip muscles, contouring the gum simply lets it come back. At Dental Việt Nam the cause is always classified before any treatment is proposed.

Indicative cost

6,000,000₫ – 25,000,000₫ per case

Book a consultation0859 989 999
Duration
30 – 60 minutes
Appointments
1 – 2 appointments
Anaesthetic
Local anaesthetic
Warranty
6 months of follow-up review
Gummy smile treatment at Dental Việt Nam

Gummy smile treatment at Dental Việt Nam costs from 6,000,000₫ to 25,000,000₫ per case, takes 30 – 60 minutes, and is warranted for 6 months of follow-up review. Prices include VAT and are the same at every clinic; the initial examination and panoramic X-ray are free. It suits patients with excess gum tissue covering the crown, making the teeth look short and short clinical crowns from incomplete eruption.

Who this is right for

  1. Excess gum tissue covering the crown, making the teeth look short
  2. Short clinical crowns from incomplete eruption
  3. More than 3mm of gum showing on smiling, affecting your confidence
  4. Finishing the gum line before crowns or veneers

Who should not have this

  • A gummy smile caused by vertical excess of the upper jaw — this needs orthognathic surgery
  • Active gum disease or acute gingivitis not yet stabilised
  • Poor oral hygiene or heavy smoking, both of which slow healing

If you fall into this group, the dentist will propose a more suitable option rather than proceeding anyway. It is exactly why the first appointment always includes an X-ray.

The clinical detail

What to understand before deciding on Gummy smile

Three points a dentist usually ends up explaining in the chair — read them first and your consultation can get straight to the point.

Four causes, four approaches — get the diagnosis wrong and anything you do comes back

A gummy smile is not a disease but a presentation, and it has four different origins. Group one: gum tissue overgrown across the crown, or teeth that never fully erupted, leaving short clinical crowns. For this group gum contouring is the correct indication and gives a stable result.

Group two: vertical excess of the upper jaw, which pushes the whole block of teeth and gum downward. No amount of gum contouring addresses the root of this; the real answer is orthognathic surgery.

Group three: an overactive lip elevator muscle, pulling the lip abnormally high on smiling. Group four: a congenitally short upper lip. Both are soft-tissue causes, treated by reducing lip elevator activity with an injectable — temporary, and needing repeating — or by surgically repositioning the lip attachment.

Plenty of patients come to us after having gum surgery elsewhere and finding the gummy smile back within months. It is almost always the same story: the cause was in group two or group three, but only the gum was treated.

Biologic width — the 3mm that decides whether the gum line stays where you put it

Between the crest of the alveolar bone and the base of the gingival sulcus there is always a band of attached tissue of relatively constant height, roughly 2 to 3mm. That band is a biological barrier stopping bacteria travelling from the mouth down to the bone, and the body defends it fiercely.

If the gum is cut into that zone without adjusting the bone crest to match, the body re-establishes the distance one of two ways: the gum grows back over the tooth as before, or the bone resorbs to make room. The first is relapse; the second is permanent bone loss with chronic inflammation at the margin.

This is why an X-ray to measure the bone crest is taken before cutting, and why some crown-lengthening cases require bone recontouring rather than gum contouring alone. The difference between the two techniques is not really about price — it is about whether the result is still there in five years.

An attractive gum line follows geometry, not intuition

A harmonious smile line follows a few measurable rules: the gum zeniths of the central incisors and the canines sit level with each other, the lateral incisor gum line sits about 0.5 to 1mm lower, and the width-to-height ratio of the central incisor is around 75 to 85%.

So the correct sequence starts with measuring: the clinical crown height of each tooth, the position of the cemento-enamel junction, and then drawing the target line before the laser touches any tissue. Not cutting and then looking.

Where the crowns were already short, contouring alone will lengthen the teeth but the proportions still will not be right. Those cases need to be planned as one from the start: contour the gum first, wait 4 to 6 weeks for the tissue to settle, and only then make veneers or crowns to the new line.

What is different here

How we do Gummy smile

The cause is classified first

Clinical crown height, biologic width and lip mobility are all measured to establish which group your case belongs to.

Diode laser, no scalpel

Cuts and coagulates at the same time, so there is almost no bleeding, usually no sutures, and healing in 5 to 7 days.

A symmetrical gum line by design

Measured against the proportions of the smile line so both sides match, rather than trimmed by eye.

Restorative work planned alongside

Cases needing longer crowns are planned together with veneers or crowns from the outset.

The process

4 steps

You know in advance what happens and how long each stage takes.

Before you come in

Record a short video of yourself smiling naturally and laughing, in daylight — a smile in front of a mirror or a dentist's camera is more guarded than a real one, and it is the real one that has to be designed for. Bring older photographs if you want to compare. If your gums are inflamed or you have calculus, have a scale and polish one to two weeks beforehand: a swollen gum margin gives false measurements and is not the real line to cut to.

  1. 01

    Smile analysis

    30 minutes

    Photographs and video of your natural smile, measuring how much gum shows and how mobile the upper lip is.

  2. 02

    X-ray assessment of the bone

    20 minutes

    Establishing the biologic width and the bone crest level, to determine whether bone recontouring is also needed.

  3. 03

    Laser gum contouring

    30 – 45 minutes

    The new gum line is marked, the area anaesthetised, and the tissue contoured with a diode laser.

  4. 04

    Healing review

    2 appointments

    Reviews at day 7 and day 30 to confirm the gum line is stable before any restorative work begins.

Aftercare

What to do at each stage

Most complications do not come from the treatment itself but from the days that follow. This is the guidance you are given when you leave.

First 48 hours

Do

  • Cool, soft food, chewing away from the treated area
  • Rinse gently with saline after meals
  • Take any prescribed medication

Avoid

  • Hot, spicy or strongly acidic food
  • Brushing directly over the contoured margin
  • Pulling your lip back at the mirror to check it constantly — healing tissue needs to be left alone

Weeks 1 – 4 — while the gum line settles

Do

  • Attend the day 7 and day 30 reviews
  • Brush gently with an ultra-soft brush as instructed
  • Be patient: the gum line takes 4 to 6 weeks to reach its final position

Avoid

  • Judging the aesthetic result in the first week, while the tissue is still swollen
  • Having veneers or crowns made before the gum line is stable
  • Smoking, which is the single clearest factor in delayed healing

Long term

Do

  • Scale and polish every six months to keep the gum margin healthy
  • A review at six months to confirm the line has held

Avoid

  • Ignoring bleeding gums — recurring gingivitis undoes the aesthetic result
Cost

What it costs, and what decides that

Five things that decide the final figure

  1. Whether bone recontouring is needed

    This creates the 6 to 25 million₫ range. Laser gum contouring alone is a minor procedure; crown lengthening with bone recontouring is surgery requiring a flap, adjustment of the bone crest and suturing.

  2. How many teeth are contoured

    Reshaping six teeth in the smile zone differs from reshaping 10 to 12 in a wide smile. Cost follows the actual extent established by the smile analysis.

  3. Whether restorative work is combined

    Cases with short crowns need veneers or crowns once the gum has settled — priced from the corresponding restorative list, and best quoted as a package from the start.

  4. Periodontal treatment beforehand

    Gingivitis and calculus must be cleared before contouring, because an inflamed margin is not the real line to design to.

Comparing the options

Four approaches to a gummy smile

Which method is used follows from the diagnosis; it is not chosen by budget. This table is here so you understand why two people with gummy smiles are advised differently.

Four approaches to a gummy smile
MethodCorrect forHow long the result lastsIndicative cost
Laser gum contouringOvergrown gum tissue, short clinical crownsStable long term if biologic width is respectedFrom 6 million₫
Crown lengthening with bone recontouringBone crest sitting too high for the desired gum lineStable long termFrom 25 million₫
Injectable to reduce lip elevator activityAn overactive upper lip elevator muscleTemporary, repeated in cyclesAs prescribed
Orthognathic jaw surgeryVertical excess of the upper jawPermanentReferred to a maxillofacial specialist

The dentist's conclusion

Only the gum-related and alveolar-bone-related causes can be treated completely at a dental clinic. If the examination shows the cause lies in the jawbone or the lip muscles, we say so and refer you to the right specialty — rather than contouring the gum so you feel better for six months and then come back.

Risks

Possible complications and how they are prevented

No medical technique carries zero risk. What makes the difference is knowing in advance where the risk sits and controlling it with a specific protocol.

Relapse, with the gum growing back over the teeth

Cause
The cause was misclassified, or the cut invaded the biologic width and the body re-established the tissue.
Prevention
Classify the cause before intervening; X-ray to measure the bone crest; recontour bone where indicated rather than cutting gum alone.

Gum recession, exposed roots, teeth looking long

Cause
Removing more tissue than needed, or a very thin outer bone plate.
Prevention
Design the target line by measurement before cutting; assess the gingival biotype and bone plate thickness at the outset.

Sensitivity at the neck of the tooth afterwards

Cause
The neck of the tooth that used to be covered by gum is now exposed to the mouth.
Prevention
Apply remineralising fluoride after the procedure and use sensitive-teeth toothpaste for the first few weeks. The sensation fades and usually resolves within 2 to 4 weeks.

Chronic inflammation at the new gum margin

Cause
Biologic width violated, or a restoration margin placed too far under the gum line.
Prevention
Respect the minimum distance from the bone crest; wait 4 to 6 weeks for tissue to stabilise before restoring; place crown margins level with or only slightly below the gum line.
Frequently asked

Questions about Gummy smile

It is done under local anaesthetic, so no. The laser coagulates as it cuts, so afterwards there is only mild soreness for 1 to 2 days, and most patients need no painkillers.

Other treatments

You may also be considering

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A dentist examines you, takes a panoramic X-ray and explains what it shows using your own images. Free, even if you decide not to go ahead.

Book a free consultation0859 989 999

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