Gummy Smile Correction

Treatment details: Gummy Smile Correction

A gummy smile has more than one cause, and the treatment has to match it. Where the gum sits low over the teeth, reshaping the gum margin lengthens the visible crown; where the upper lip rises too far, repositioning the lip is the answer. Both were available in this case and the plan was built from the oral examination. The one week photograph is early, and the gum line continues to mature over the following weeks. Where the cause is an overactive lip elevator rather than gum height or lip position, botulinum toxin is the more appropriate first step and surgery is held in reserve.

The upper lip and gum area swell and feel tight for several days, and the smile can look stiff, uneven, or restricted while healing continues over one to two weeks. Tenderness, mild bleeding, and numbness of the lip may occur early. The amount of gum shown when smiling can partly return, so further treatment is sometimes required. Speaking and eating are briefly awkward. Infection and prolonged bleeding are uncommon, and the appearance is judged after about a month.