How to Get Rid of a Gummy Smile

Most people who Google “gummy smile fix” already know what they want: they want their teeth to look bigger relative to their gums, and they want to stop thinking about it every time someone takes a photo. What they don’t always know is that the right fix depends entirely on why their smile looks gummy in the first place. Get that wrong, and you could spend money on a treatment that does very little.

Here’s how to work out what’s causing yours, and what the realistic options look like.

Why your gums show more than you’d like

There are four main culprits, and they’re not interchangeable. A hyperactive upper lip, one that lifts too high when you smile, is one of the most common causes, and it’s also one of the easiest to treat. Some people simply have a lip that overshoots, pulling up further than average and exposing gum tissue that would otherwise stay hidden.

Excess gum tissue is a different problem entirely. If your teeth feel like they’re partially buried, shorter than they should look, that’s likely gum overgrowth rather than anything to do with lip movement. Orthodontic causes are another category: if your teeth erupted at the wrong angle or your jaw developed asymmetrically, the gumminess is structural. And in some cases, it’s a combination of two or three of these things at once.

This distinction matters more than people realise, because Botox, which gets a lot of attention as a quick fix, works brilliantly for a hyperactive lip and does nothing for excess gum tissue, essentially.

The non-surgical options

If your gummy smile is caused by an overactive upper lip, Botox injections into the muscles that pull the lip upward are genuinely effective. A small amount relaxes those muscles, so the lip doesn’t travel as far when you smile. Results typically last three to four months, which makes it a good way to test whether lip movement is the actual issue before committing to anything permanent. It’s quick, there’s no downtime, and when it’s done well, the result looks natural rather than frozen.

Gum contouring, sometimes called a gingivectomy, is the right call when excess tissue is the problem. A dentist or periodontist removes the overgrown gum, revealing more of the tooth underneath and reshaping the gumline so it sits higher and looks more even. Modern clinics use lasers for this, which means minimal bleeding, faster healing, and more precision than the older scalpel approach. Recovery is typically a few days of sensitivity rather than anything more disruptive.

Orthodontic treatment through braces or clear aligners can address gummy smiles caused by tooth positioning, but it’s worth being honest that this is a longer-term commitment, often a year or more, and the improvement to the gummy smile specifically is usually a secondary benefit of correcting a broader alignment issue.

When surgery is the right conversation

For significant skeletal causes, where the upper jaw has developed too far downward, orthognathic surgery repositions the jaw itself. This is a more substantial procedure with a longer recovery, and it’s typically pursued when the gummy smile is one part of a broader bite or jaw issue. Lip repositioning surgery is a less invasive surgical option that physically limits how far the upper lip can retract; it’s worth asking about if Botox gives you good results, but you’d prefer something longer-lasting.

What does it cost?

This varies significantly depending on which treatment is right for you. Botox injections for a gummy smile sit in a different price bracket entirely from orthognathic surgery. The most useful thing to do is book a consultation where someone can assess the actual cause and give you a treatment-specific figure. Vague cost estimates at this stage tend to mislead more than they help.

How long does it take?

Botox and gum contouring produce visible results quickly, within days to two weeks. Orthodontic treatment runs twelve to eighteen months on average. Surgical options involve a recovery period that varies by procedure but is typically measured in weeks rather than months for most soft-tissue work.

If you’re based in London and want a proper assessment rather than a generic treatment plan, the team at Medisha Clinic in Mayfair works across the full range of gummy smile treatments and can tell you exactly which cause applies to you before recommending anything.