Gummy Smile
When your smile shows a little extra gum.
You go to smile big for a photo, and all you can see afterward is how much gum shows above your teeth. It's such a common thing, and it's usually just how the muscles around your upper lip are wired. The good news? A small, gentle treatment can soften how much gum shows for most people, no big procedure needed.
Gummy Smile
When your smile shows a little extra gum.
You go to smile big for a photo, and all you can see afterward is how much gum shows above your teeth. It's such a common thing, and it's usually just how the muscles around your upper lip are wired. The good news? A small, gentle treatment can soften how much gum shows for most people, no big procedure needed.
CONCERN & CAUSES
Why Some Smiles Show More Gum
A gummy smile usually comes down to how your upper lip, muscles, and teeth work together when you smile. It's not one single cause, and knowing which one is at play helps your provider pick the gentlest way to soften it.
01
An Active Lip Muscle
For a lot of people, the muscle that lifts the upper lip is just a little strong, so it pulls the lip up high and shows more gum. This is the most common cause, and often the easiest to soften gently.
02
A Shorter Upper Lip
Sometimes the upper lip sits a bit shorter or higher to begin with, so even a normal smile reveals more gum. A subtle lip flip can help the lip drape a touch lower for some people.
03
Gum to Tooth Ratio
How your gums frame your teeth plays a part too. When there's a bit more gum relative to tooth, it shows more when you smile, even if everything is perfectly healthy.
04
A Mix of Things
Most smiles are a combination, a lively lip muscle plus your own natural anatomy. That's why your provider assesses your smile in motion first, then maps the gentlest approach for you.
Treatment Benefits
Gentle options to soften a gummy smile in Innisfil
Softening a gummy smile is all about a light touch in the right spot. Your provider watches how your smile actually moves, checks your lip and muscles, then recommends the smallest effective approach. No pressure, just a real plan that keeps your smile looking like you.
Botox
A small, precise dose of neuromodulator that eases the muscle pulling the upper lip up so high when you smile.
Best for a gummy smile that's mostly driven by an active lip muscle, which your provider confirms by watching your smile in motion.
By softening that one muscle, your upper lip doesn't lift quite as high, so less gum tends to show while your smile stays expressive.
A quick visit with just a couple of tiny injections. Results settle over several days and typically last a few months, so we plan simple top-ups.
Lip Flip
A few small neuromodulator points along the upper lip border that let the lip relax and flip subtly outward.
A nice complement when a shorter or higher upper lip is part of why more gum shows, often layered with the muscle-softening dose.
As the upper lip eases and rolls out a little, it can drape slightly lower over the gum line, softening the overall look for many people.
A fast, gentle treatment. It settles over a few days and lasts a shorter stretch than a full dose, so we time it into your visits.
How to look after your smile after treatment
A neuromodulator treatment is quick and low-key, but a few simple habits right after help it settle evenly and keep your lips comfy. These little things protect your results while everything eases in over the first several days.
Be Gentle With the Area
Skip rubbing, massaging, or pressing on the treated area for the rest of the day. A light, gentle cleanse is all it needs while everything settles into place.
Stay Upright and Give It Time
Try not to lie flat or nap for a few hours after your visit, and skip strenuous workouts that day. Results settle gradually over several days, so a little patience pays off.
Keep Your Lips Hydrated
A gentle lip balm keeps your upper lip soft and comfy as things settle. A hydrated lip barrier just feels better and holds up nicely between visits.
Hold Off on Facials and Heat
Give facials, masks, saunas, and hot yoga a miss for a day or two. Keeping heat and pressure off the area while it settles helps your result land evenly.
Protect With SPF
Daily broad-spectrum SPF, including a lip product with sun protection, keeps the delicate skin around your mouth happy and looking its best all year.
Recommended Care
Lip and Skin Care Essentials
Ask our team about a simple daily routine, a nourishing lip balm plus a broad-spectrum SPF, that keeps the skin around your smile soft, protected, and looking its best between visits.
Who provides your care
Nurse Practitioner-led care you can trust
Your plan is guided by Jennifer Holman, NP, our owner and a Nurse Practitioner with over 14 years in medicine, a Key Opinion Leader for Galderma and Xcite Technologies, and Chair of APANS. You may also be cared for by our aesthetic nurse injector Lia Harding, RN, or our Medical Aesthetician Natasha Grbesa. We assess your skin and full health history first, talk through whether a treatment is right for you, including anyone who should wait such as during pregnancy or with an active skin infection, and only recommend what genuinely suits you. All care follows Ontario's medical oversight rules.
Skin Club Membership
Join the Skin Club
Exclusive Savings on Every Visit.
Beautiful skin is a long-term commitment, and Skin Club membership makes that commitment rewarding. Members receive preferred pricing across all treatments, priority booking with their preferred practitioner, and a personalized treatment roadmap so results keep building with every visit.
Discounted treatment packages and member-only pricing
Priority booking and scheduling with your preferred practitioner
Complimentary skin assessments & personalized treatment plans
A plan built around your face, not a template.
Same-week consultations. No referral required. Our team walks you through what they see, and what they'd actually recommend.
FAQ
Common questions about
gummy smile treatment
A tiny dose relaxes the muscle that lifts your upper lip up so high when you smile. With that muscle softened, your lip doesn't rise as much, so less gum tends to show for most people. Your smile still moves and looks like you, just a little more balanced.
That's exactly the goal. We use a small, precise dose so your smile stays expressive, not frozen. Your provider assesses how your smile moves first, then keeps things subtle so it still looks like your smile, just with a bit less gum showing.
Results typically last a few months, and a lip flip usually lasts a shorter stretch than a full dose. Everyone's a little different, so we'll check in and plan simple top-ups to keep things looking consistent for you.
Most people find it really manageable, just a couple of tiny pinches. It's a quick visit, and we keep you comfy the whole time. If you're feeling nervous, just tell us and we'll go at your pace. We've got you.
It depends on why more gum shows when you smile, which your provider checks in person. For some people it's the muscle, for others the lip, and sometimes a gentle combination works best. We'll map it out together at your consult.
Results settle in over several days rather than all at once, so give it about a week to see the full effect. We'll walk you through what to expect and check in along the way to make sure you're happy with how it's looking.