Gingival smile, or gummy smile is a facial alteration which is defined by excessive exposure of the gingival tissue, or gums, when smiling.
This type of facial malformation also presents, in many cases, a vertical excess of the upper jaw that gives the patient a face that is too long and not very harmonious.
As a rule, patients with gummy smile are not at all satisfied with their facial aesthetics, besides presenting problems of hypersensitivity to the cold, or malocclusion, when the gingival smile is due to an abnormal development of teeth or maxillary bone.