Abstract
Background: The pursuit of esthetic excellence has become a major goal in the dental treatment. Gummy smile is one of the complaints of the patients, since such a situation can influence self-esteem and social relationships. The beauty of the smile is not only constituted by the shape, position and size of the teeth, but also based on the characteristics of the gingival tissue and conformation of the lips, which should be as harmonious as teeth. The development of new more conservative techniques may provide a better therapeutic option than surgical procedures, such as the application of botulinum toxin, in the treatment of gummy smile. Purpose: to present the case of a patient who presented dentogingival discrepancy caused by gingival overgrowth and gummy smile, treated by gingivoplasty and complemented by application of botulinum toxin. Description of the case: The gingivoplasty was performed followed by the application of botulinum toxin type A. Results: The gingivoplasty resulted of the improvement of gingival arches and the application of botulinum toxin promoted the dehiscence of upper lip, reducing the gingival exposure. Conclusions: The application of botulinum toxin, associated with gingivoplasty, is an important tool at the management of gummy smile, optimizing smile harmony and achieving improved self-esteem and quality of life.
Highlights
The demand for cosmetic procedures has grown exponentially
Gummy smile is one of the complaints of the patients, since such a situation can in uence self-esteem and social relationships. e beauty of the smile is constituted by the shape, position and size of the teeth, and based on the characteristics of the gingival tissue and conformation of the lips, which should be as harmonious as teeth. e development of new more conservative techniques may provide a better therapeutic option than surgical procedures, such as the application of botulinum toxin, in the treatment of gummy smile
Results: e gingivoplasty resulted of the improvement of gingival arches and the application of botulinum toxin promoted the dehiscence of upper lip, reducing the gingival exposure
Summary
The demand for cosmetic procedures has grown exponentially. Dental procedures, as well as medical ones, besides working to obtain the principle of health promotion, seek smile esthetics, as the smile is a form of communication and socialization that expresses many feelings (1,2,3). The use of botulinum toxin can be considered as a therapeutic option to surgery, because it is a more conservative method, more effective, faster and safer, as compared to surgical procedures (1,5,10). E purpose of this study was to report a case of a patient who presented gingival overgrowth and gummy smile and was treated by application of botulinum toxin type A complementing the gingivoplasty. The patient presented severe anatomic discrepancy between the length of the maxillary teeth (Figure 1), and prominent gingival display, with more than 4mm, featuring gummy smile. The patient yet reported the complaint of gummy smile (Figure 4). E application of botulinum toxin was suggested, and the patient was counseled about the recurrence of the gummy smile a er 6 months of application. Were no reported side effects or complaints. e patient was advised about the need for applications, on average, 6 months a er the rst, according to their needs
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