Differential diagnosis and treatment of excess gingival display.

Excess gingival display, commonly described as the "gummy smile," has received increased emphasis in the dental literature in recent years. There are several etiologies for this condition, including lip length and activity, clinical crown length, dentoalveolar extrusion, and vertical maxillary excess. For this reason, it is essential that a differential diagnosis be developed so that a specific therapy or group of treatments can be developed for a patient. It is the purpose of this article to describe a differential diagnosis for excess gingival display as well as recommendations for treatment.