Abstract

Fernando Salimon Ribeiro*, Fernando Cavalcante Castro Garção, Alex Tadeu Martins, Celso Eduardo Sakakura, Benedicto Egbert Corrêa de Toledo and Ana Emília Farias Pontes

Delayed passive eruption is conventionally treated with osteotomy and osteoplasty, which is limited to the vicinity of cementoenamel junction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate clinical outcome of three gummy smile patients with delayed passive eruption submitted to an extended osteoplasty in the buccal aspect of anterior maxilla. Digital photograph images of maximal smile were taken in order to assess the results before and 9 months after surgery. All maxillary incisors were evaluated. In comparison with baseline, all patients presented lip dropping (calculated in 7.9 ± 1.7%), increase in crown length (18.2 ± 2.7%), and a decrease in the gingival display (46.6 ± 2.7%). On the other hand, considering specifically the decrease in gingival display, 19.7 ± 3.8% of it was due to the amount of lip dropping, while 26.9 ± 1.2% was due to the increase in crown length. Within the limits of the present study, it could be concluded that after the extended osteoplasty, upper lip has slightly dropped and was less tensioned, which provided a more harmonious smile.