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Chapter 24 - Botulinum Toxin in the Treatment of Gummy Smile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2023

By
Rosemarie Mazzuco  and
Doris Hexsel
Edited by
Daniel Truong ,
Dirk Dressler ,
Mark Hallett ,
Christopher Zachary  and
Mayank Pathak
Daniel Truong
Affiliation:
University of California, Riverside
Dirk Dressler
Affiliation:
Hannover Medical School
Mark Hallett
Affiliation:
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Christopher Zachary
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine
Mayank Pathak
Affiliation:
Truong Neuroscience Institute
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Summary

The gingival smile or gummy smile (GS) occurs when more than 2 to 3 mm of gum is exposed. It may be related not only to the excessive elevation of the upper lip by the involved muscles, but also to alterations in anatomical features like lip length, bone and periodontal and dental structures. The amount of exposed gum can largely differ from patient to patient, with some individuals presenting gum exposure of up to 10 mm. This chapter discusses the different subtypes of gummy smile – anterior, posterior, mixed – using detailed anatomical illustrations of each, including the pertinent musculature. A table lists the specific muscles to target for injection in each subtype.

Keywords

Botulinum toxinonabotulinumtoxinAabobotulinumtoxinAgummy smilegingival smile
Type
Chapter
Information
Manual of Botulinum Toxin Therapy , pp. 207 - 213
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

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Hexsel, D, Dal’Forno, T, Camozzato, F et al. (2020). Effects of different doses of abobotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of anterior gingival smile. Arch Dermatol Res, 313(5), 347–55. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-020-02096-9Google ScholarPubMed
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