Having a great smile isn’t just about perfect selfies on Instagram. Your smile is your calling card, the expression you count on to show you at your best and happiest. A warm, open smile will make you feel more at ease and ready to let your joy show on your face.

Why get a smile-enhancing treatment?

If wrinkles, thin lips, or a gummy smile are making you hesitant to smile in public, you can see a Portrait provider for smile-enhancing treatments. Cosmetic injectables like dermal fillers, Botox®, or thread lifts can give you the smile you’ve always dreamed of.

Treatment options to enhance your smile

The best smile enhancement treatments for you depend on what you want to achieve. Read on to learn what treatment best impact different smile concerns.

Fuller Lips

Cupid’s Bow Filler

Adding dermal filler to the two peaks at the top of your lips can enhance the shape of your upper lip. The filler emphasizes the shape of the lip without going overboard with volume. Fillers in the Cupid’s bow aim to subtly raise and define the upper lip using small amounts of filler placed precisely in the Cupid's bow area. Your provider may add filler in the other parts of your pout to add balance and volume, giving an overall appearance of fuller lips.

After a consultation to make sure this treatment is right for you, you don’t need much preparation. In general, providers recommend avoiding blood-thinning medications like aspirin and ibuprofen, as well as fish oil, turmeric, vitamin E, and St. John’s Wort, before your appointment. After treatment, you may have swelling or bruising around the injection sites, and a cold compress or arnica gel or pellets can reduce inflammation or bruising.

Dermal fillers can last twelve to eighteen months, depending on the brand of filler and how your body metabolizes it. Your provider can tell you which filler will work best for you and how long it will typically last.

Dermal fillers are generally safe for people in good health. They are not recommended for people who’ve had previous allergic reactions to fillers or their ingredients. If you’ve had lip fillers before, tell your provider what type of filler was used and when it was injected.

Lip Filler

Dermal filler is one of the most popular procedures in the United States, and lips are one of the most common sites for filler injections. Lips lose volume over time and may start to look thin and creased. Adding filler to your lips gives them a youthful, fuller look. There is a wide range of preferences for lip fillers, from full bee-stung lips to subtle injections that replace lost volume but don’t increase the overall size.

Before you get lip fillers, it’s wise to have a consultation to discuss your expectations. Your provider will work with you to give you the perfect pout. Before your appointment for injections, avoid medications that can have a blood thinning effect. After treatment, you may have bruising or swelling around your lips. Gently applying a cold compress for the first 24 hours after lip filler injections can help with swelling, and arnica gel may help fade bruising.

Different brands of fillers last for various lengths of time, but many last for twelve to eighteen months. Your provider can tell you how long your brand of fillers usually lasts, though results may vary.

Lip fillers are for anyone who wants to give their lips a fuller appearance. Talk to your provider about any health conditions or allergies that might make fillers the wrong choice for you. You should tell your provider about previous lip fillers you have received before scheduling treatment.

Gummy Smiles

A gummy smile is sometimes called an “excessive gingival display.” It means that your lip pulls back far enough to reveal your gums when you smile. It’s usually caused by hyperactive muscles around your mouth that pull your lip back further than you might like. There’s nothing dangerous or unhealthy about a gummy smile, but some people don’t like the look and want to correct it.

Neurotoxins like Botox® can help with a gummy smile. Neurotoxins relax the affected muscles, so they don’t move as much when you smile. Your provider can inject a small amount of neurotoxin into the appropriate muscle to prevent hyperactivity. The result is a smile that’s still wide and bright. Your lips will be more relaxed and cover your gums even when you smile.

You should plan a consultation appointment with your provider to discuss your expectations. Your provider can assess your facial muscles and determine where injections will be needed. The injections are done with very fine needles, and most people don’t need to do anything special to prepare for the appointment. You may notice some soreness or bruising at the injection sites, and cold compresses can help with discomfort.

Neurotoxin effects usually last for about twelve weeks. You can have your injections refreshed when you notice the effects wearing off. You can safely get injections if you are in good health and don’t have allergies to neurotoxins. Talk to your provider about any health conditions you have or medications you take. If you have had neurotoxin injections in the past, let your provider know and tell them how much time has passed since your last treatment.

Enhance your resting face

You may feel like your resting facial expression is giving the wrong impression about your mood or personality. There is no one reason for a sour resting face; it could be due to changes around the eyes, cheeks, or mouth. Wrinkles, drooping skin, or lost volume can combine for a less-than-ideal resting expression.

Depending on what area of your face is causing you concern, you can opt for fillers, neurotoxins, or both. Fillers can replace lost volume, create lift, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles or sagging skin. Neurotoxins can relax facial muscles to smooth out the appearance of wrinkles.

You can ask about a thread lift if you want more dramatic results. During this in-office procedure, your provider will insert dissolvable sutures under the skin to tighten specific areas. The process takes under an hour and has no downtime. Early results are evident immediately, and improvement continues for several months. The effects usually last for three years.

This kind of treatment should be highly personalized. You should talk to a provider about which areas of your face concern you and discuss all the options for treatment. Once you have decided which treatments are right for you, your provider will give you instructions for preparing for your appointment. They may suggest you avoid medications that cause blood thinning. They may also offer you a topical numbing cream to prevent discomfort. After your treatment, you may have swelling, bruising, or soreness. Cold compresses and arnica are usually helpful in soothing discomfort.  

Smoker’s Lines

Smoker’s lines are tiny wrinkles that run vertically around your lips. They get their name because they appear in the spots where lips pucker when sucking on a cigarette. Smoking isn’t the only cause of the lines. Lost volume, loosening skin, and age can all lead to small wrinkles around your mouth.

Injecting fillers around the lips can smooth the appearance of smoker’s lines. Depending on your desired result, your provider may suggest fillers in the skin around your lips to address the lines directly. Fillers in the lips or nasolabial folds may increase volume in the area and smooth lines even further.

Discuss your treatment options with your provider to make sure you get the results you want. Tell them about any prior injectable treatments you have had on your face. Before treatment, you may need to limit blood thinning medications like ibuprofen or aspirin. Your provider might offer you a numbing cream to ease discomfort during treatment. If you have swelling or bruising afterward, cool compresses can help you reduce inflammation.

Fillers generally last for a year or more. Your provider will let you know which brand of filler you’re getting and what is the typical longevity of the treatment. They are useful for people in good health who want to smooth out lines around their mouths. You should not have fillers if you are allergic to them.

Improve jaw and chin shape

Dimpled Chin

A dimpled chin isn’t the same as a cleft chin, where there is a clean line down the midline of the chin. Rather, chin dimpling is when the whole chin looks bumpy or dimpled, like the skin of an orange. It’s caused by a hyperactive mentalis muscle in the chin that tenses and causes an irregular appearance on the skin.

A dimpled chin can be accompanied by an overall tense look around the mouth. Reducing the tension in the surrounding muscles can generally lead to a more pleasant expression. Neurotoxins like Botox® can relax the muscles, so the chin appears smoother. In some cases, dermal fillers can even out the bumps in the skin.

Discuss your treatment options with your provider. They can suggest the combination of treatments most likely to give you your desired results. If you are getting fillers, you should avoid blood thinning medications about a week before treatment to reduce the risk of bruising. You may have swelling around the injection site, and cold compresses can ease any discomfort.

Your results will depend on the treatment you receive. Neurotoxins last around twelve weeks before they need to be refreshed. Fillers generally last longer, about twelve to eighteen months.

If you are a current smoker, injectables may not be advisable. Discuss your health, smoking history, and current medications with your provider to decide if these treatments are right for you.

Chin Enhancements

Dermal fillers can add volume to the chin and jaw if you want to create a more balanced profile and a stronger chin. Your provider can inject fillers around the chin and jawline to smooth and fill out areas you wish to enhance.

Before treatment, you should avoid blood thinning medications like aspirin or ibuprofen. Ask your provider for a numbing cream to keep you comfortable during the treatment, which may take time and require multiple injections. You may have swelling around the injection site, and cold compresses can reduce any discomfort.

Chin enhancements generally last for a year or longer. The results will depend on the brand of filler you get and how your body metabolizes it. This treatment is best for people in good health who want relatively minor changes to the chin and jawline. 

TMJ Treatments

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) refers to any issues with the joints that attach the upper and lower jaws. Symptoms of TMJ disorders include pain, difficulty moving the jaw normally, and clicking or popping noises around the jaw. The condition may not affect your smile directly, but the pain and limits to jaw movement can cause distress and discomfort.

Neurotoxin injections are a useful treatment for TMJ problems. The neurotoxin relaxes the muscles in the jaw, and people find that pain, clicking, and movement problems are reduced after treatment.

You may want to discuss treatment for TMJ disorders with your doctor or dentist before seeing a Portrait provider for neurotoxin injections. They may have suggestions regarding dosage and frequency of injections. Tell your provider if your doctor or dentist has instructions for your care.

Neurotoxins typically last for three months. You may need treatment more or less frequently, depending on your symptoms and their severity. This treatment is best for people diagnosed with TMJ disorder that will respond to neurotoxin injections. If you are not sure what’s causing your jaw pain, see a doctor or dentist for a diagnosis.

FAQs about smile-enhancing treatments

What questions should you ask your provider?

When you first talk to your provider, be upfront about what you’re hoping to achieve. Your provider can tell you if you have realistic expectations and how to best achieve them. As with any medical treatment, you should be sure to tell your provider about any medications you take and any health conditions you have.

What is involved in the injectables process?

Injectables are minimally invasive treatments. They are administered in the provider’s studio, and you will be awake for the whole process. The treatment usually takes less than an hour. There is no downtime, though you may have swelling or bruising immediately after.

Is the injectable process painful?

There may be some discomfort from any injection. The needles for neurotoxins like Botox® are very fine and usually cause minimal discomfort. Fillers can be more painful, but the discomfort usually doesn’t last longer than the time it takes to perform the injections. Thread lifts can be painful, and your provider may offer a topical numbing cream to mitigate discomfort.

When are results visible?

The results of fillers are visible immediately. Neurotoxins take longer to show results; you can usually start to see the effects two weeks after treatment. Thread lifts have immediate results that increase during the first eight weeks after treatment.

Enhance your smile with Portrait

No matter what you want to do to improve your smile, Portrait providers can help you get the results you want. Visit our website to book an appointment with a Portrait provider today.

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