Gummy smile treatment
Seamless, efficient clinical appointments
Medically-backed gummy smile treatment
Results that meet the Undetectable Standard™
Doctor-led care and clinical oversight
Your smile should reflect authenticity, not hold you back.
Excessive upper lip elevation can reveal more gum than desired. This dynamic imbalance can make smiles feel restrained or self-conscious.
Using our doctor-led 3-Pillar Framework™, we moderate lip movement and refine smile dynamics. By restoring muscular balance while preserving natural expression, we achieve results that embody Identity Alignment™.
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As seen in
When you've had enough of holding back your smile
Reduce visible gum show the medical way.
It's not your smile, it's structural
Your smile is a reflection of your personality. Muscular, bone, dental and gingival imbalance can all cause excessive gum visibility when you smile.
Conscious control holds you back
Actively holding back your smile masks your gum show, but holds you back from showing true happiness. True refinement targets the cause.
This isn’t about change, it’s about Identity Alignment™
Treatment softens excessive lip elevation while preserving natural warmth and expression, allowing your genuine smile to show through.
The Undetectable Standard™ at every step
Our experienced clinicians personalise treatment to your anatomy and goals, achieving seamless results with clear guidance and ongoing care through our doctor-led 3-Pillar Framework™.
Treatment info
Treatment objectives
Suitability
Preparation
Aftercare
Results
Your Experience
Step 1 of 3
Check your suitability
Begin by completing our Online Suitability Assessment.
Our experienced clinicians review your anatomy and aesthetic priorities before preparing a personalised Suitability Report, giving you the medical clarity and professional guidance needed to move forward confidently.
Your Experience
Step 2 of 3
Experience medical precision
Visit the clinic to confirm your suitability and proceed with treatment only when appropriate.
We apply our 3-Pillar Framework™ to tailor your treatment plan to your structural anatomy.
By prioritising anatomical integrity and technical precision, we achieve a balanced result that is both seamless and sophisticated.
Your Experience
Step 3 of 3
Achieve the Undetectable Standard™
Experience subtle refinement of your natural contours while preserving balance and movement through our philosophy of Identity Alignment™.
Your single flat-fee is all-inclusive, encompassing your clinical care and a complimentary refinement session to achieve the Undetectable Standard™.
You will receive a long-term preservation plan and ongoing doctor-led care to ensure you remain refreshed, refined, and entirely yourself.
Why people trust Cosmetic Connection
We move beyond “beauty retail” to provide a doctor-led environment. Our focus is on thoughtful, measured assessments, and calculated clinical plans rather than a sales pitch, ensuring your treatment is guided by medical expertise and mutual respect.
Identify your clinical path before you enter the clinic. Our digital triage process evaluates your anatomical baseline, providing an intelligent first step and a personalised clinical path that replaces the “aesthetic gamble” of a vague “discovery session” with clear, expert guidance.
We respect that your hesitation is a sign of intelligence. This in-clinic consultation serves to confirm your digital roadmap in person. It is a private space to finalise your clinical plan and proceed with treatment only once you are completely certain.
We replace guesswork with calculation. By assessing your unique Anatomy, the Aetiology (biological drivers) of your concerns, and your Goals, we ensure every intervention is biologically appropriate and structurally sound.
To maintain clinical integrity, we removed the incentive for over-treatment. Our transparent flat-fee pricing ensures your clinician is motivated by your anatomical outcome—not by the amount of product used.
Achieve Identity Alignment™ through clinical restraint. By applying the 90/10 Rule, we refine your appearance while protecting your natural character, ensuring your result withstands the closest social scrutiny.
What causes a gummy smile?
A “gummy smile” occurs when excess gum tissue is visible above the upper teeth when smiling. What constitutes ‘excess gum’ is personal, and will vary between individuals. There are several factors that can contribute to this appearance, and understanding the underlying cause is key to determining the most suitable approach for addressing it.
One common reason for a gummy smile is hyperactive muscles that elevate the upper lip, causing it to rise too high during a smile. Other contributing factors can include naturally thin lips or lips that become thinner when smiling, which can make the gums appear more prominent. Additionally, the size and proportion of the teeth themselves can play a role; if teeth appear shorter, the surrounding gum tissue might seem comparatively larger. Excess gum tissue or even a longer upper jawbone can also be underlying causes of a gummy smile.
How to treat your gummy smile
If you don’t like the appearance of a gummy smile, there are various treatment options available. The most suitable treatment approach for a gummy smile depends on the underlying cause, as identified during a thorough in-person assessment.
The most common non-surgical treatments often recommended for improving a gummy smile focus on the muscles that elevate the upper lip, the volume of the lips themselves, or a combination of these factors to create a more balanced and harmonious smile.
By addressing the muscles that elevate the top lip, it sits lower, covering more of the gum tissue when smiling.
By relaxing the top lip muscle, it won’t curl under when you smile, for a less “gummy” appearance.
Adding lip volume can subtly increase the fullness of the upper lip. This can help to camouflage a gummy smile by creating more coverage over the gums when you smile.
This procedure involves carefully re-shaping or removing a small amount of excess gum tissue. It aims to expose more of the natural tooth surface, creating a more balanced tooth-to-gum ratio.
This category encompasses various dental treatments, such as veneers, crowns, or bonding, which can alter the appearance of short or small teeth. By making the teeth appear longer or more proportionate, cosmetic dentistry can reduce the perception of a gummy smile.
In cases where a gummy smile is caused by an excessively long upper jawbone, corrective jaw surgery may be considered. This more invasive procedure repositions the jaw to improve the balance between the gums, teeth, and facial structure.
Have questions? We're here to help.
Check your suitability for personalised guidance.
A gummy smile is often defined as a smile with more than 2-3mm of visible gum, but what’s most important is the individual’s perspective.
Gummy smiles are usually caused by hyperactivity of the muscles that lift your top lip. These muscles are:
- Levator labii superioris
- Levator labii superioris aleque nasi
- Zygomaticus minor
An overactive obicularis oris muscle can contribute to the appearance of a gummy smile.
Other less common causes of a gummy smile include:
- Small lips
- Excessive gum tissue above the upper teeth (known as gingival hyperplasia)
- Short upper teeth
- A long upper jaw (maxilla bone)
Gummy smiles tend to run in the family as we inherit certain facial features from our parents. However, some people may develop a gummy smile without inheriting it.
There are many ways to reduce the appearance of a gummy smile, with suitability determined through a consultation.
Many children grow out of their gummy smile as their upper jaw develops. The jaw bones continue to grow until early adulthood, and other factors such as dental work and braces can affect the development of a gummy smile.
You won’t know if a child will outgrow their gummy smile until they enter their late teenage years.
Braces and Invisalign are unlikely to improve the appearance of a gummy smile.
Aligning the teeth will not treat the causes of a gummy smile. In fact, gum irritation from braces and Invisalign may cause gingival hyperplasia (more gum tissue), making a gummy smile worse.
The following treatment options are available for those concerned about a gummy smile:
- Orthognatic (jaw) surgery: expensive, and more risk and downtime compared with non-surgical options
- Gum lift to reduce excessive gum tissue: more expensive and painful than non-surgical treatments
- Cosmetic dentistry and veneers: good for short teeth, but costly and will permanently damage the underlying teeth
- Relaxing muscles: may assist with a gummy smile caused by strong lip lifting muscles
- Adding volume: an option for those with a thin top lip, helping to cover visible gum tissue
As everyone has their own belief about what is and isn’t attractive there is no definitive answer about whether a gummy smile is attractive. Some people do find gummy smiles to be an attractive facial feature while others prefer smiles without excessive gum show.
So that we can provide pricing information about treating a gummy smile, we first require you to complete our online suitability assessment. This is so a clinician can determine if it’s right for you.
Gummy smile treatments are designed to reduce the visibility of gum tissue when you smile. There are various methods to achieve this.
One common method relaxes upper lip elevator muscles. By relaxing these muscles, the treatment helps to subtly lower the upper lip, reducing the amount of gum visible when you smile. In some cases, adding volume to your lips can make them fuller, concealing your gums when you smile.
Most non-invasive treatments for a gummy smile take between 5 and 20 minutes.
People’s experiences of discomfort vary, but most report only mild, brief discomfort with non-surgical gummy smile treatments.
Most treatments involve the use of numbing to minimise discomfort.
The time it takes to see results from your gummy smile treatment depends on the method used.
Full results typically develop over days to weeks.
The longevity of gummy smile treatments can vary depending on the method used, but typically fade over months to years.
Following gummy smile treatments you might experience some very minor and temporary effects, such as slight redness or tenderness at the treatment sites, but these typically resolve quickly.
Most types of gummy smile treatments are considered low-risk when administered by a skilled and experienced medical professional.
As with any treatment, there is a risk of temporary side effects such as localised bruising, swelling, or tenderness at the treatment sites. Serious complications are rare.
