Using anti-wrinkle injections for gummy smiles

The ‘gummy’ smile is being overcome with the use of anti-wrinkle injections into the upper lip muscles to relax them, causing the top lip to stay lower on the mouth when we smile. This creates a less gummy, toothier smile.

The gummy smile cosmetic treatment is being performed by both dentists and cosmetic dermatologists alike, since the treatment is quick to administer via injection, lasts months, and has the desired effect of lessening visible gums when smiling without having any long-lasting treatments.

The options for the gummy smile was traditionally expensive mouth surgery – the gingivectomy. This surgery might include severing the muscle that causes the upper lip to rise so high, and in some severe cases, repositioning the jaw over several years.

Anti-wrinkle injections relax the upper lip muscle partially so when you smile, the smile doesn’t spread lip volume into thin obscurity or reveal a lot of gum. The ‘ideal’ amount of gum showing is, for some, about 2mm, with the idea being that anything more than three or four millimetres being in the ‘gummy zone’.

Some people feel embarrassed about their gummy smiles, so instead of enjoying smiling, they feel self-conscious and try to hide their mouths by smiling in a tightly controlled fashion. This is not what smiling is about. Being able to relax when you smile is key to the best smiles.

Feeling good about your smile is important, even though the only time we ever see it is in photographs and videos. With photos and videos now being so common, we are all the more self-conscious about something we previously wouldn’t have necessarily noticed much.

Anti-wrinkle injections relax the muscle in the lip so it reduces its full function, keeping the 2mm gumline intact for a less gummy smile.

Things to know about gummy smile correction at our Melbourne clinic:

• We use muscle-relaxant anti-wrinkle injections, most commonly used for treating developing or established wrinkles on the face, but also used for other medical purposes
• The anti-wrinkle injections are comfortable – the injection is generally pain-free and comfortable to undergo
• Treatments take about 10 minutes and you can return to work immediately afterwards in these walk-in walk-out no-downtime treatments
• Results are visible in about two weeks as the treatment takes effect
• Results last three or four months – anti-wrinkle injections are a temporary treatment and wear off, meaning they do need to be repeated to get the same effect ongoing
• Anti-wrinkle injections are considered very safe when performed by a qualified, experienced doctor, like the cosmetic doctors at ENRICH
• There are no side-effects to these anti-wrinkle injections besides possibly some swelling and minor redness
• You will be able to speak and eat normally after anti-wrinkle injections at our Melbourne clinic

We are expert cosmetic dermatologists.
Contact our Melbourne clinic