Will Mouth Widening Fix My Smile?

Q: Dr. Eppley, 2 questions for you how much would a mouth widening procedure cost? Also, would you have any idea what’s “wrong” with my smile? I’ve scoured the internet looking for similar smiles and answers to what could be causing it too no avail. My smile looks kind of “forced” and wonky. Could it possibly be paralysis of some sort? I also get tightness in my chin when I smile, chin ptosis perhaps? I’m at a loss as too what could be causing my smile too look odd. I attached 2 photos. 1 of me smiling and one of a smile I’d consider more normal I guess. You can see that mine looks forced and uncomfortable and his looks natural and relaxed. Thank you in advance dr!

A:You have overactive depressor lip muscles and poor excursion of the lateral upper lip elevator muscles, creating a forced or abnormal mouth shape when smiling. There is no surgical solution to that facial muscular activity. You can always try Botox to the lower lip depressor muscles and see if that helps. I would not be certain that mouth widening would provide much benefit for your smile.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana