Banish the gummy smile: botulinum toxin to the rescue!

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of botulinum toxin Type A in the correction of gummy smile. Methods: Fourteen patients with gummy smile were recruited in our study. Gummy smile was arbitrarily classified into mild (3-5 mm), moderate (5-7 mm), and severe (> 7mm) to see the degree of improvement attained with the injection. Yonsei point was chosen as the injection site. Two units of Botulinum toxin Type A were injected at each site in all patients. Baseline evaluation on the day of injection was done with photographs, and repeat assessment was done after 2 weeks. The improvement of gum exposure achieved (in mm) was measured using a computer software (Digimizer Image Analysis Software). Results: Average percentage of improvement seen was 68.85%, with patients with mild gummy smile showing 74.09%, moderate showing 60.89%, and severe showing 65.66% improvement. Conclusion: From the study, it was inferred that botulinum toxin was very effective in the treatment of gummy smile, even though the effect was temporary.