Ask a doctor

I make a gummy smile just when I laught spontaneously. Can I make lip muscles get used to normal smile?

I would like to know if those lips muscle will get used if I will control my smile consciously, because I make a gummy smile just when I laught spontaneously . I mean that normally with a little effort I can make a beautiful smile and keep my upper lip where it should be. Just when I am in the mood (you know that feeling you cannot stop laughting about sth that make you automatically smile), it draw my lip up automatically, instead of drowing smile into the sides.

Doctor Answers 7

August 22nd, 2016

Gummy Smile -- Botox Injections

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
Botox can improve the gummy smile. I suggest you speak to a physician that is an expert in this type of treatment.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa6C2fuS-AgOnvBjr6_VSQg

Jason Emer, MD


Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon
4.8 out of 5 stars 203 reviews

August 17th, 2016

Gummy smile

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
Hello, and thanks for your question. A small amount of Botox can be injected near the sides of your nose to reduce the amount of gum show while smiling. I recommend an in-person consultation with a well-trained dermatologist or plastic surgeon. Best of luck, Dr. Frucht. 
Corey Frucht, MD, PhD
August 16th, 2016

Botox Works Well For Treating Gummy Smiles

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
I have been injecting Botox for well over fifteen years for treating just the type of gummy smile you describe. It usually only takes a microdroplet placed in a specific muscle on each side of the nose in the vicinity of the top of the smile lines to soften the overactivity of the tiny muscle there that pulls up the upper lips and prevents them from more naturally covering the gums when smiling. Such treatment would then not require of you exercising any control of your smile. Your physician might suggest giving you a pre-test, using a local anesthetic, to give you some idea of the potential results of treatment. The effects of the local last about two hours, enough time for you to have a "tryout" of your new, non-gummy smile. Treating a gummy smile with Botox is an advanced injection technique that is best left to the hands of an experienced, board certified, aesthetic physician injector and not simply someone who is accustomed to treating ordinary glabella "eleven lines."  Best of luck to you and keep smiling.

Learn more: http://YoungerLookingWithoutSurgery.com

Nelson Lee Novick, MD
August 15th, 2016

Gummy smile

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
A small amount of Botox can be injected into the muscles of the upper lip to improve a gummy smile. Good luck. Best Dr H 
Sanaz Harirchian, MD
August 15th, 2016

Lip augmentation - gummy smile

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}

Thanks for your question. I would suggest Botox injection for your gummy smile. Botox controls lip elevation. It lasts for around 3 months. That way you can test your new smile without permanent changes. Make sure you get an experienced clinician to do that for you. Good luck.

August 15th, 2016

Correcting gummy smile with Botox

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
This can be done by an experienced injector. The levator labii superioris alaeque nasi (the longest name for a muscle in a human) can be injected near the top of the NLF. I use about 2-3 units each side. It works well but some people don't like that their smile is "unnatural". You can give it a try and if you don't like it, it will wear off in 3 months.

Learn more: https://stevenfweinermd.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/all-botox-providers-are-not-the-same-choose-carefully/

Steven F. Weiner, MD

Steven F. Weiner, MD
Panama City Facial Plastic Surgeon
4.8 out of 5 stars 53 reviews

August 15th, 2016

#GummySmile

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
Dear Adrian1123: Even though your smile is "gummy" only when you laugh spontaneously  I do not believe you will be able to train yourself to smile  spontaneously without showing your gums. However, a tiny amount of Botox in the muscles that elevate your upper lip (LLSAN) should relax your lips slightly such that when you laugh your gums will not show as much, without affecting your normal smile.  All the best,  Dr. Clark
Sheryl D. Clark, MD

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.