Gummy Smile

Lip Repositioning

Excessive appearance of the teeth while laughing can create unhappiness in the aesthetic sense. Although this unhappiness rate is at different points according to men and women, the intense appearance of the gums is an undesirable appearance. Although methods such as botox are used to eliminate this appearance, lip reshaping may be required for permanent solutions. Depending on the degree of the problem, it may sometimes be sufficient to adjust the gum levels in the gummy smile problem.

As in other cosmetic dentistry applications, the change in the gums can be shown to our patient with the mock up method. When this process is sufficient for the person, gingival regulation will be sufficient, but in cases where the gingival appearance is advanced, lip reshaping surgery can be applied in our patients.

Treatment Planning Phase

Before Deciding on Surgery

It should be determined exactly whether the reason why the gums appear so much is due to the inadequacy of the lip or whether the teeth are too far in front. Moreover, people with this problem are very used to smiling by covering their lips, so the amount of the problem may actually be camouflaged by the patients. For this reason, the diagnosis is very important, that is, how much the gums are visible while laughing, this should be determined exactly through a photograph and what the result will be should be explained to our patients from the front.

What is Lip Repositioning Surgery?

Lip repositioning surgery is to ensure that the gums and lip are in harmony by reducing the amount of lip protrusion when a person smiles. You may have heard of lip repositioning surgery, which goes by several different names. They all mean the same thing: some other names, such as lip reduction surgery or REVERSE VESTIBULOPLASTY or GUMMY TUCK, are also used.

How is Lip Repositioning Surgery Performed?

With a simple technique, lip repositioning surgery lowers your lip when you smile. A small band of gum tissue is removed from under the lip, then the gum tissue is sutured to a lower position. This is all there is to it. When the area heals, there is no scar. When you smile, there is no change in the outer part of the face.  The only difference is that your lip is not pulled up as much when you smile. Sometimes botox application is also performed either before or during the surgery in order to make the surgery more permanent.

Who Can Have Lip Repositioning Surgery?

It can be applied to our patients in cases where the lip rises too high when smiling. When you smile, the end of the lip, where your teeth merge with the gums and even end up quite high, indicates that you may be a candidate for this procedure. Of course, if this smile bothers you…

In general terms, a classification can be made as follows

Positioning of the lip 1-2 mm above the gingival margin (when smiling)

3-6 mm

7+

How Long Does Lip Repositioning Surgery Take?

A lip repositioning procedure is a simple and predictable surgical technique. The procedure takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. Depending on the fears and concerns of our patients, we can increase this time slightly and extend it up to 1 hour to bring it more in line. Local anaesthesia is usually used in lip repositioning surgery. Local anaesthesia is sufficient for most patients, but in very frightened patients, sedatives such as passiflora can be given to our patients beforehand to make the surgery more comfortable.

What is the recovery time for lip reshaping surgery?

Recovery for lip repositioning surgery is usually three to four days. Typical painkillers can be used during this time. The pain is moderate and usually after 3 to 4 days, patients can completely return to their normal daily life. For wound healing, we can apply ozone therapy to our patients and ensure faster wound healing.

Strenuous exercises are not recommended for our patients after the application. It is also recommended to avoid applications that will cause swelling of the face such as showering with very hot water and sauna. It is also recommended not to open the mouth too much while smiling. Our patients may feel a difference during smiling. This difference will become natural over time. It is quite normal to avoid smiling during the presence of stitches. Stitches can be easily removed after one week.

How long does the effect of lip repositioning surgery last?

After the first four weeks of healing, our patients may have difficulty in the placement and positioning of the lip while smiling for the first six months. But after six months, lip repositioning surgery will be permanent.