If you've ever held back a full smile in photos because too much of your gums show, you already know how much this small thing can affect your confidence. The good news: there's a quick, non-surgical solution that works beautifully for most people. The honest news: it's not permanent. Here's everything you need to know about gummy smile Botox — including what the before and after really looks like, how long it lasts, and whether it's right for you.
What Causes a Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile — technically called excessive gingival display — happens when your upper lip lifts too high when you smile, revealing more of your gum line than feels proportionate. For most people, this is caused by overactive muscles in the upper lip, specifically the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi (a mouthful, we know). When those muscles are hyperactive, they pull the lip up higher than average with every smile.
Other causes can include the position of your teeth, the length of your upper lip, or the vertical growth of your upper jaw — but when the culprit is muscular, Botox is an elegant and effective fix.
How Gummy Smile Botox Works
The treatment itself is deceptively simple. A small amount of Botox is injected into the muscles responsible for lifting the upper lip. This gently reduces the strength of that upward pull so your lip sits a few millimeters lower when you smile — covering more of the gum line without changing the way your smile looks or feels in any dramatic way.
When it's done well, the result looks completely natural. You smile more. You laugh freely. You just don't feel the need to hide it anymore.
The actual injection takes about five minutes. There's no downtime. Most people come in on a lunch break and go right back to their day.
Gummy Smile Botox Before and After: What to Realistically Expect
Results typically appear within five to seven days, with full effect visible around the two-week mark. In most before and after comparisons, the change is subtle from a clinical standpoint — but meaningful to the person experiencing it. The gum line that was showing three to five millimeters above the teeth often becomes partially or fully covered at rest and during a natural smile.
What it won't do: completely eliminate gum show if your anatomy involves significant jaw structure or very short lip length. And it won't look identical on every person — which is exactly why precise placement by an experienced injector matters so much. The dose used, the injection site, and your individual muscle anatomy all affect the outcome.
At AOB, Jesica and Tara assess your smile carefully before placing a single unit. They're not following a template — they're looking at how your specific muscles move and calibrating accordingly. That's the difference between a result that looks natural and one that feels slightly off.
Is Gummy Smile Botox the Same as a Lip Flip?
Not exactly, though people often confuse them — and they're sometimes used together. A lip flip uses Botox injected along the upper lip border to relax the orbicularis oris muscle, causing the lip to gently roll outward and appear slightly fuller. It can also reduce the amount of gum that shows, but it works on a different muscle than gummy smile Botox.
Lip flip Botox before and after photos tend to show a more visible change to the shape of the upper lip — a subtle pout, a softer Cupid's bow, a bit more pink showing. Gummy smile Botox before and after photos, by contrast, show a change in how high the lip rises when smiling, not necessarily in the lip's resting shape.
Some patients benefit from both treatments together. Others do better with one or the other. This is exactly the kind of conversation worth having at your consultation — not something to self-prescribe from a social media trend.
How Long Does Gummy Smile Botox Last?
This is the "not permanent" part. Botox for a gummy smile typically lasts three to four months, which is consistent with most neuromodulator treatments. As the product gradually metabolizes, the muscle activity returns and the lip begins lifting as it did before.
With consistent treatment over time, many patients find that they need slightly less product per session — muscles that are regularly relaxed can become less hypertonic over time. But it's important to set realistic expectations: this is a maintenance treatment, not a one-and-done fix.
If you're looking for something more permanent, surgical options like a lip repositioning procedure exist — but for most people, the simplicity and reversibility of Botox makes it the preferred starting point.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
You're likely a good candidate for gummy smile Botox if:
- More than three to four millimeters of your gum line shows when you smile naturally
- The cause is muscular (hyperactive upper lip elevator muscles) rather than structural
- You're comfortable with a treatment that requires maintenance every three to four months
- You want a subtle, natural correction — not a dramatic change
You may want to explore other options if your gummy smile is caused primarily by jaw anatomy or tooth position — in those cases, an orthodontist or oral surgeon may be better equipped to address the underlying structure. A good injector will tell you this honestly rather than treating you for something Botox can't fully correct.
What About Combining Botox With Lip Filler?
Some patients pair gummy smile Botox with lip filler to address both the gum show and lip volume in the same appointment. When done thoughtfully, the two treatments complement each other — the Botox manages muscle movement while the filler adds definition and fullness. If you're curious about doing both at once, our post on combining Botox and filler safely is worth a read before your visit.
Why the Injector Matters More Than You Think
Gummy smile Botox sounds simple — and technically, it is a small injection. But the margin for error is real. Too much product, or product placed in the wrong location, can affect your smile asymmetry, limit how wide you can smile, or cause the lip to look stiff rather than natural. Too little, and you won't see meaningful improvement.
This is a treatment where experience genuinely changes the outcome. Jesica and Tara at AOB have been doing this for years, and they bring a level of precision — and an honest assessment of what Botox can and can't do for your specific anatomy — that makes a real difference. You can read what patients consistently say about them: that they take the time to really understand what you want, explain everything clearly, and never push you toward something that isn't right for you.
What to Expect at AOB
Your first appointment starts with a real conversation. The team will look at how your smile moves, ask about your goals, and be honest with you about what's achievable. If gummy smile Botox is the right fit, the treatment itself takes just a few minutes. If there's a better solution — or a combination approach that would serve you better — they'll tell you that too.
There's no upsell culture here. Just a team that treats your face like it matters and wants you to leave feeling like yourself — only more confident about it.
Ready to Talk About It?
If a gummy smile has been quietly affecting how freely you smile, this is one of the simplest corrections in aesthetic medicine — when it's done right. Book a consultation at AOB Med Spa in Denver and let Jesica or Tara take a look. Sometimes the smallest adjustments make the biggest difference.
