Botox and the gummy smile - Dr. Fred Peck

A quick fix to a gummy smile may be the use of Botox. Patients that show a lot of gum tissue when they smile sometimes show as much tooth as gum. For many people this can be an unattractive smile. For some patients, the lip rides up very high when they smile and they show a lot of pink. Placement of Botox is very simple and can start taking effect in about two weeks. Botox works by stopping the lip muscles from raising up completely, but you can still have full use of the lip as long as the correct amount of Botox is used. The Botox does have to be repeated about 3-4 time per year, but this is much better than surgery and the permanent results that later in life will not look good. Botox is one of many options for treatment of the gummy smile and has a lot of additional uses in dentistry. Ask your dentist for the options that are best to improve your smile.