We believe that your smile should never be a source of self-consciousness. Our Kelowna Botox specialists outline how Botox just might be the solution you need for a gummy smile.
What Is A Gummy Smile?
When most people smile, around 2mm to 4mm of gums show. In a gummy smile, more gum than that is on display.
While some tooth models, celebrities, and everyday people can rock a gummy smile and look great, others find that too much gum showing when they grin makes them feel awkward.
What Are The Causes Of A Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile can be caused by:
- small teeth that make your gum area look large in comparison
- an upper jaw that is long, meaning the upper lip does not adequately cover the gums when smiling
- a short upper lip (ie a small distance between the bottom of the nose and the top of your lip)
- small teeth
- a hyperactive upper lip
- thin lips
Gummy Smile Treatment Options
In most cases, a gummy smile is a cosmetic issue only: while it makes some individuals feel self-conscious, the underlying causes are usually benign. However, in some cases it may be a symptom of a tooth or jaw structure issue. There are numerous ways that medical professionals can treat a gummy smile so that patients can say goodbye to self-consciousness and close-mouthed smiles.
Treatment methods include:
- surgical procedures to decrease the height of the upper jaw.
- removal of excess gum tissue.
- surgical procedures to augment the upper lip to cover more of the gum tissue.
- lengthening the crown of teeth through the addition of porcelain veneers.
- botox to reduce how high the upper lip can reach
For many individuals for whom a gummy smile isn’t the sign of any kind of underlying problem, Botox is the preferred method of reducing a gummy smile.
Additionally, even individuals with a naturally smaller tooth size, short upper lip, or a longer maxilla often choose Botox unless their condition is causing other problems because it’s non-invasive and many do not wish to undergo extensive facial surgery simply for a gummy smile.
Botox: A Noninvasive Solution
Botox is a tried-and-true neurotoxin that works by blocking the signals from the nerves and the muscles. This is how smooths and prevents wrinkles and furrows.
When injected into the upper lift by one of our Kelowna Botox specialists, Botox prevents your upper lift from lifting too high.
This, in turn, reduces the amount of gum on display when you’re smiling. Patients can then laugh and smile spontaneously without having to worry about their appearance.
What To Expect
When you opt to have you gummy smile corrected using Botox, here is what you can expect:
Botox is injected into your levator angulis oris muscle. This lessens its pull on the top lip, meaning that when you smile your gums will be less apparent.
If your gummy smile is the result of thin lips, your doctor can use a filler such as Juvederm to fill them out slightly.
Regardless of which of these procedure variants you choose, you can be sure that your Botox specialist will ensure that you have beautiful, natural-looking results.
An appointment with our Kelowna Botox requires very little downtime--while you may experience some light swelling immediately post-injection, this is considered a “lunchtime” procedure.
The effects of your Botox injections will last from 3-6 months.
Contact Us
To learn more about this procedure, give us a call at 250-868-9099 or reach out to us using our online contact form.
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