GUMMY SMILE TREATMENT WITH BOTULINUM TOXIN AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE- A CASE REPORT

Aim: in this case report, botulinum toxin’s application methods, advantages, disadvantages, indications and contraindications are discussed at the literacy. case and method: a 29-year-old woman came to our clinic with the complain of excessive gingival display on smiling. she was systemically healthy and she had no drug usage. 5 mm of gingival display when smiling was diagnosed. after clinical examination, it was recorded that her gummy smile was due to hyperactive lip elevator muscles. botulinum toxin(botox;allergan inc, westport, ireland) is applied according to manifacturer’s instructions. results: after 1 week of the botulinum toxin injection the excessive gingival exposure is decreased 3.5 mm at the patient. conclusion: gummy smile(gs) is an aesthetic disorder for some patients that is seen due to several factors which has some different treatment options such as orthognatic surgery, orthodontic treatment, gingivoplasty and bone resection. latterly, botulinum toxin, is also being used at gummy smile cases as a minimal invasive treatment alternative to decrease excessive gingival display.