Upgrade Your Gummy Smile Correction With These Treatments

By: Alex Farnoosh, D.M.D., M.S.D., Ph.D.

As a gum specialist and celebrity dentist, I frequently treat patients with a “gummy smile” using a lip lowering procedure. Although this procedure alone is often sufficient for outstanding results, sometimes a complementary treatment is needed. Here are 3 that I often perform in conjunction with lip lowering:

• Aesthetic Crown Lengthening

Some people have very small teeth in relation to their gum tissue. An aesthetic crown lengthening procedure is used to elongate the look of short teeth for a more attractive smile. This is done by reshaping the gumline so that more of the tooth is exposed.

• BOTOX® Cosmetic

BOTOX is most widely used for wrinkles, but it can also be used as part of a lip lowering procedure. Because BOTOX weakens the muscles, it can be injected into the hyperactive muscles of the upper lip to prevent it from rising fully and exposing too much gum tissue.

• Gum Bleaching

I recommend gum bleaching in addition to lip lowering for my patients who have both a gummy smile and gum discoloration. This procedure is quick, simple, and effective. One treatment typically takes less than an hour, and the results are immediate & permanent.