Women & Men
Gummy smile consultations
Provided by our trusted team in a clinical setting.
Recommendations made with your comfort and recovery time in mind.
Results aligned with your preferences.
Plans that prioritise ongoing supportive care.
At Cosmetic Connection, our gummy smile consultations allow you to explore non-surgical options to reduce the appearance of gum when you speak, smile and laugh.
Our experienced medical professionals use various techniques to tailor the appearance of your gummy smile to your personal preferences. During your consultation, we’ll review your goals, outline potential risks, and explain the range of possible outcomes based on your individual assessment.
If you’re ready to move forward, contact our team for a free suitability assessment, or schedule a confidential consultation.
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Why book a consultation for a gummy smile?
A consultation with our experienced clinicians helps you understand your options and choose the approach best suited to your preferences. You’ll receive clear guidance tailored to your individual needs.
Professional Guidance
Learn which non-surgical options are suitable for your personal aesthetic concerns.
Personalised Plan
Receive recommendations customised to your goals and lifestyle.
Tailored Improvement, Without Permanent Commitment
Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with tailored and non-permanent changes.
Holistic Approach
Can be integrated into a holistic non-surgical plan to balance facial features and reduce signs of ageing.
Treatment info
What the treatment can do
Suitability
Preparation
Aftercare
Results
Your Journey
Step 1 of 3
Your personalised consultation
Your journey starts with a private consultation where our friendly, experienced clinicians listen to your goals and assess your unique needs. We’ll explain your options clearly, including how treatments work, expected results, longevity, risks, aftercare, and costs—giving you the knowledge and confidence to make an informed decision in a supportive, trusting environment.
Your Journey
Step 2 of 3
Professional treatment & care
Once you’re ready, our skilled practitioners perform your treatment with care and precision. To ease any discomfort, we offer a range of numbing options. Your safety, comfort, and natural results are always our priority, with emergency equipment on-site and generous appointment times to ensure your treatment is never rushed.
Your Journey
Step 3 of 3
Your bespoke results
After your personalised treatment, we’ll provide you with detailed post-treatment care instructions to ensure a swift and smooth healing process.
To further support you, all treatments performed at Cosmetic Connection include an optional complimentary follow-up appointment and are backed by our satisfaction guarantees, ensuring your complete peace of mind.
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 treating the top lip muscle, it won’t curl under when you smile, for a less “gummy” appearance.
Adding 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.
We want to answer any questions you may have.
If you can’t find the answers to your questions, get in touch with us and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
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.
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.
Why people choose Cosmetic Connection
We have implemented strict safety and hygiene protocols aligned with industry-leading standards.
Medical-grade clinical environments led by doctors and designed with your privacy, comfort and convenience in mind.
We prioritise what’s right for you. With us, you’ll receive personalised, expert advice–without any pressure or obligation to proceed with treatment.
With our standardised photography, we can plan your treatment collaboratively and comprehensively, while tracking your progress with remarkable accuracy.
When it comes to your care, we don’t subscribe to trends.
We choose our products, techniques and technologies based on quality, safety, reliability, and efficacy.
Our clinicians strive to remain up-to-date on best practice, and make no compromises on the quality of your treatment.
Receive a customised treatment package and pay your preferred way with our range of flexible payment options, including cash, card, Afterpay*, Zip Pay*, and payment plans via Total Lifestyle Credit* (*Subject to approval: required before your appointment).
Your satisfaction is one of our top priorities.
Our treatments come with a range of guarantees because we are confident in our ability to deliver.
