Management of a Severe Gummy Smile with Temporary Anchorage Devices

Abstract

A 46-year-old Nigerian woman came for consultation with the chief complaint of gummy smile. The clinical examination
showed a convex profile, a protrusive maxilla, a Class II Division 1 malocclusion involving a gummy smile. Temporary
anchorage devices (TADs) in the anterior dental region were used as anchorage for the intrusion of her maxillary anterior
teeth. Those appliances, combined with retraction of the maxillary anterior teeth, eliminated the severe gummy smile and
corrected the canine relationship from Class II to Class I. The treatment was workable and simple, and the active period was
12 months. The patient received a satisfactory occlusion and an attractive smile.