Gummy Smile/Long Face - Do I NEED Surgery?

[RedLips]

Hi, all. I'm a 23-year-old female and I'm very self-conscious about my facial appearance. I have a very gummy smile and a long midface. I've been told that it isn't long enough to classify as Long Face Syndrome, but it's still long. And I hate it.

Even when I tilt my face down, the gummy smile still shows. Ugh.

Is there a non-surgical way to fix this? Or do I ABSOLUTELY need surgery?

Also, what kind of surgery would I require? What's the cost? Is it a complicated surgery?

Here are some pictures of my smile:

http://imgur.com/1FJBVYx
http://imgur.com/Ks70EcO
http://imgur.com/8KdhCsx
http://imgur.com/2eGJDlp

[snapdresser]

Hi RedLips,

I can't open your pics on this computer, but from your description (gummy smile, long midface) the procedure for that is usually the Lefort Osteotomy (google it, it's one of the most common procedures in orthognathic surgery). There are sometimes accompanying procedures based on the effect of the Lefort, that'd be something to talk to your maxillofacial surgeon about. There is no way to correct for a gummy smile outside of this procedure, except maybe some type of plastic surgery on your lips? I can't imagine that a procedure like that exists, but who knows. A Lefort Osteotomy usually costs $10k+. It's a very complicated surgery and there are potential side-effects such as permanent numbness due to nerve damage during the surgery, and of course any time you go under general anesthetic there's a chance you won't wake up. The recovery period is fairly long and I hear painful. You could expect to be out of work for 3-4 weeks or so. No, you don't "absolutely need" surgery. You can just get on with your appearance as is. Of course, that wasn't enough for me

***I'm not a doctor and I'm not diagnosing any illness or prescribing any treatment***

snapdresser

[RedLips]

I feel like I have a "horse face." Is there a natural way to fix this?

[snapdresser]

Not at 23 years old. The only way for you to change your bone structure at this point is through surgery. Does it bother you THAT much? I know mine bothers me enough that I'm getting it Still, this is NOT something to be taken lightly. You'll have a completely different appearance afterwards and there are serious risks and potential side effects.

[lalcharlie]

The number of people on this forum with beautiful teeth who aren't happy! I would dearly love your smile and certainly wouldn't have contemplated surgery if i looked half as good as you. The world puts far too much pressure on us to be 'perfect', sadly mother nature isn't. I'll be happy with straight teeth and a decent bite

[RedLips]

The midface is very long, and I'm sooooo self-conscious about it. The gummy smile further proves that I have excess maxillary growth. I do NOT want to do surgery, but I wish there were a way to look and feel pretty. No one deemed "attractive" or "pretty" has the kind of midface I have. Sarah Jessica Parker, who has a long midface, is ridiculed for it and told that she looks like a horse!

This is my face:
http://imgur.com/esJssTs
http://imgur.com/AQkeg0F
http://imgur.com/UL3gY2r

[snapdresser]

Lol you're being too hard on yourself. Your case doesn't need surgery, just some self confidence! And don't smile real big when you're trying to impress a guy, I guess? But in all fairness, my case is maybe only a millimeter or two worse than yours and I'm getting the surgery so... Lol. Let us know what you decide!

[RedLips]

Snapdresser,

you're getting the surgery to shorten your midface? What do you look like?

[snapdresser]

Well, I have a somewhat gummy smile, but like I said, it's only a mm or two worse than yours. I'm not quite ready to post pics on here, but my treatment plan is to raise my maxilla ~6mm. Also going to be bringing everything forward some though, too, and I'm not sure you wanted to do something like that. I got my insurance to cover it though. If you don't get insurance to cover it, the bill can be steep. Steep enough to make you reconsider how bad you really want it

[snapdresser]

RedLips,

I found this in an old thread I happened to run across:
"You clearly have a gummy smile. On that specific part surgery isn't necessarily the only option. It is possible to intrude the entire upper dentition"

So apparently that's another option to address a gummy smile besides orthognathic surgery. I know zero about it, but someone suggested it was possible and apparently sometimes performed.