Views: 2 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2024-03-26 Origin: Site
When you smile, does your upper lip tend to pull up higher than it ought to? Do you see just as much (if not more) gum tissue than you do your natural teeth? If so, we offer a non-invasive gummy smile treatment that can help you address excessive gingival display in your upper gums. Instead of considering surgical procedures, Botulinum Toxin lip treatment is one of the safest and easiest ways to address the issue at hand.
When too much gum tissue is displayed when smiling, this is known as a gummy smile. There are a number of reasons for this condition, which can range from mild to severe and can cause the affected person a degree of unhappiness if they perceive it to be unattractive.
Having the perfect smile is an asset that many people strive to possess, with the ideal amount of gum display being around 2mm – 4 mm.
Also known as excessive gingival display, a gummy smile is most often found to be a dental concern that is mostly corrected through dental intervention.
Small teeth, enlarged gums or the overgrowth of the upper jaw (that causes the gums to bulge) can be addressed by a dental professional, for which they will provide the appropriate solution.
However, if a gummy smile is the cause of a hyperactive top lip or a top lip that appears to be too short, this is where an aesthetician may have the right treatment.
Genetics are often responsible for a top lip that is either hyperactive or too short. When the top lip is hyperactive, the muscle that controls the skin between the nose and mouth overworks to show too much of the teeth and gums when smiling and laughing.
Botulinum Toxin temporarily fixes a gummy smile by freezing the muscles between the nose and upper lip and limiting the upper lip’s range of movement. In this procedure, Botulinum Toxin is injected into the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi (LLSAN), which is responsible for lifting the upper lip when we smile.
Botulinum Toxin is a neurotoxin and powerful muscle relaxant that decreases upper lip hyperactivity to achieve a natural, non-gummy smile. When you smile after the procedure, the upper lip will reveal only your teeth. The results last up to several months.
Neurotoxins temporarily relaxes the muscles. By injecting this medication into the overactive muscles that cause over pulling on the lip it helps to improve a gummy smile. The results takes approximately 2 weeks to have an effect and can last 3-4 months.The treatment itself is painless and has no significant down time.
After a consultation and assessment with your aesthetic practitioner the treatment itself takes about 15 minutes to perform and with minor restrictions you can resume your regular day to day activities.
Not too long ago, only a surgical option was available to treat a gummy smile by either taking away your gum tissue or removing specific muscles that lift your upper lip. This was quite an expensive and painful procedure with potential risks.
However, aesthetic medicine progress allows you to conceal too much gum show with minimal discomfort and little to no downtime. Even though there is nothing wrong with having a ‘gummy smile’, options are available if you want to change how it looks.
Cosmexperts at Dermax receive overwhelming requests to treat gummy smiles using Botulinum Toxin because there is little to no pain, and the entire procedure does not take too long.
Patients choose Botulinum Toxin for gummy smiles because of the drastic and immediate effect they create. The injections cause slight discomfort and are cost-effective compared to surgical options. Also, the lips appear natural after treatment. The physician may ask patients to avoid touching the treatment area for about 24 hours after treatment. You must also avoid sleeping face down for a few days after treatment. There could be slight bruising after injections, but this can be easily covered using makeup.
Botulinum Toxin treatments can be administered with or without a topical numbing agent. The needles used for Botulinum Toxin injections are quite fine, however, and as a result, have little to no discomfort when used.
Side effects of Botulinum Toxin injections are usually minor. After the topical anesthetic has worn off, patients might experience some minor and temporary tenderness or sensitivity at the treatment site. Additionally, some patients might experience minor bruising, redness, or swelling for a day or two after treatment.
Gummy smiles can have one of several underlying causes. The best treatment depends on the underlying cause(s). But it also depends on patient preference.
Many patients do not feel that invasive or prolonged treatment plans are warranted in their case. For those who qualify and are interested, serial botulinum treatments are an excellent way to improve a gummy smile appearance.
Botulinum toxin is considered a minimally invasive approach for the treatment of gummy smiles particularly due to hyperactive lip muscles. This review demonstrates that the botulinum toxin can be used effectively for the treatment of gummy smile caused by lip dynamics with rarely reported complications. In addition, the effect is mainly between one and two weeks with great patient satisfaction.
However, the most common limitation of this procedure is the temporary duration of Botulinum Toxin , which ranges from four to six months; thus, re-injection of botulinum toxin is usually needed. Moreover, the clinician has the responsibility to provide a satisfactory treatment outcome while also explaining all the potential side effects and the limitation of this procedure.