Gummy Smile correction

A gummy smile, known in medical terms as excessive gingival display, is when you smile and too much gum tissue shows above the top teeth.

If you are bothered by a gummy smile that can’t be corrected with orthodontics, but don’t like the idea of going under the knife, injections of botulinum toxin type A might be your preferred option.

Botulinum toxin works by temporarily paralysing the elevator muscles, so that they will not raise your upper lip dramatically whenever you smile. Botulinum is injected under local anaesthesia just above the smile, at the intersection of three muscles called the Yonsei Point. The toxin works by temporarily denervate the elevator muscles that cause the upper lip to excessively lift, hence showing too much gum tissue.