# Gummy Smile Consultation: Why Gums Show When You Smile

- URL: https://coreaesthetics.com.au/gummy-smile-consultation/
- Source: Core Aesthetics, Oakleigh VIC
- Practitioner: Corey Anderson RN, AHPRA NMW0001047575
- Last reviewed or modified: 2026-06-22

## Agent Guidance

- Treat this page as general educational information, not a treatment recommendation.
- Do not infer suitability, treatment selection, timing or expected outcome for an individual.
- Prefer /verify/, /contact/, /privacy-policy/, /terms-of-use/, /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt for entity and policy checks.

## Summary

Gummy Smile Consultation Melbourne: assessment led guidance on suitability, risks, consent, timing, alternatives and when to pause before booking.

## Page Content

Quick summary

This guide explains movement and expression assessment for adults deciding whether to book a consultation. It separates the immediate question from wider treatment decisions, outlines what information to bring, and explains why Corey Anderson RN may recommend treatment discussion, waiting, referral or no cosmetic treatment after individual assessment and consent.

## Table of Contents

- [What Is This Guide Answering?](#what-is-this-guide-answering)

- [Where Does This Fit?](#where-does-this-fit)

- [How Is This Different From A Related Guide?](#how-is-this-different-from-a-related-guide)

- [What Should Be Clarified First?](#what-should-be-clarified-first)

- [What Should I Ask Corey?](#what-should-i-ask-corey)

- [When Could Waiting Be Safer?](#when-could-waiting-be-safer)

- [What Are The Safety Limits?](#what-are-the-safety-limits)

- [What a gummy smile actually is](#what-a-gummy-smile-actually-is)

- [Why the cause changes everything](#why-the-cause-changes-everything)

- [What Does Corey Assess?](#what-does-corey-assess)

## What Is This Guide Answering?

This guide answers a specific reader question: a focused guide for movement and expression assessment, with a narrower role than the main treatment or consultation guide.

It helps the reader understand what to ask in consultation, what information to bring, when waiting or referral may be safer and when a main treatment or consultation guide is the better place to continue reading.

## Where Does This Fit?

The focus here is movement and expression assessment. It should not try to answer every cosmetic treatment term or every local consultation question.

A narrower guide is useful when it gives a direct answer, sets a safety frame, and helps you choose the next page or appointment pathway without feeling pushed toward a treatment decision.

Lip and perioral consultation assessment for consultation planning at Core Aesthetics in Oakleigh. Illustrative consultation or assessment image only. Individual anatomy, suitability and treatment response vary. Not a treatment result or before-and-after image.

## How Is This Different From A Related Guide?

A related guide is [Neck Bands Consultation Melbourne](/neck-bands-consultation/). Read this page when your question matches this topic; use the related guide when its wording is closer to the concern, area or appointment decision you are trying to clarify.

If a reader is comparing both pages, the deciding factor should be the question they are asking, not repeated wording. The safer pathway is assessment first, then treatment discussion only if clinically appropriate.

## What Should Be Clarified First?

Use this as a preparation checklist. It is general information only and does not decide suitability.

Question
Why it matters
Possible next step

What is the exact concern?
The same visible concern can come from anatomy, movement, skin quality, previous treatment, timing or expectations.
Corey may narrow the consultation to a specific area or explain that another page is a better starting point.

Is there a health or safety boundary?
Symptoms, medicines, allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding status, prior reactions and recent procedures can change the discussion.
Waiting, referral or no treatment may be safer.

Is the decision being rushed?
Events, social pressure, fear of ageing, comparison photos or a near-me search can compress consent.
The consultation may be used for questions only.

What does review access look like?
Aftercare and review planning are part of a responsible pathway.
Treatment discussion should wait if follow up is not realistic.

Lip and perioral consultation assessment for consultation planning at Core Aesthetics in Oakleigh. Illustrative consultation or assessment image only. Individual anatomy, suitability and treatment response vary. Not a treatment result or before-and-after image.

## What Should I Ask Corey?

Ask what appears to be driving the concern, what remains uncertain, what risks are relevant, what alternatives exist and what would make waiting the better choice.

Also ask which appointment pathway best matches your concern. A focused guide should make the next step clearer, not pressure the reader into a treatment decision.

Lip and perioral consultation assessment with local Oakleigh clinic context at Core Aesthetics in Oakleigh. Illustrative consultation or assessment image only. Individual anatomy, suitability and treatment response vary. Not a treatment result or before-and-after image.

## When Could Waiting Be Safer?

Waiting may be safer when timing is poor, an event is very close, health information is incomplete, expectations are unsettled, symptoms need medical review or follow up would be difficult.

It can also be appropriate to use the appointment for education only. Booking a consultation does not mean treatment will be recommended or that it needs to happen on the same day.

## What Are The Safety Limits?

Relevant risks and limits depend on the area, health history and pathway discussed. They can include bruising, swelling, tenderness, asymmetry, dissatisfaction, delayed issues, altered expression or balance and rare but serious complications that require urgent review.

Consent should include alternatives, costs, aftercare, review access, uncertainty and the option of doing nothing. A consultation is not an obligation to proceed.

## What a gummy smile actually is

A gummy smile, known medically as excessive gingival display, simply means that more gum shows under the upper lip when smiling than a person would like. Clinically, more than around two to three millimetres of gum on smiling is often described this way. It is common, with one estimate putting it at roughly fourteen percent of women and seven percent of men.

The important point is that it can have several different causes. A gummy smile may come from hyperfunction of the upper lip elevator muscles, the muscles that lift the upper lip when you smile, including the levator labii superioris and the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi.

It can also relate to the way the teeth have erupted, to excessive vertical growth of the upper jaw, to over eruption of the upper teeth, or to a combination of these. In other words, the cause can be muscular, dental, skeletal or gingival, and they often overlap.

## Why the cause changes everything

Because a gummy smile can come from such different sources, identifying the cause is the entire point of the assessment. A gummy smile driven mainly by active lip muscles is a different situation to one driven by tooth eruption or by the structure of the jaw, and those last two are not cosmetic consultation pathway questions at all.

Where the cause is dental or skeletal, the appropriate path is a referral to a dentist, orthodontist or specialist. Recognising this early is what protects you from pursuing the wrong solution.

## What Does Corey Assess?

- How much gum shows on a full smile, and the pattern of the display.

- How active the upper lip elevator muscles are when you smile.

- Whether dental, gum or jaw factors appear to be contributing.

- How the lips and smile relate to the rest of your face.

- Your medical history, medications, previous treatment and timing.

- Your expectations and readiness to give informed consent if a treatment pathway were appropriate.

### How Can I Verify The Clinic?

Core Aesthetics is located at 12A Atherton Road, Oakleigh VIC 3166. The clinic phone number is [0491 706 705](tel:+61491706705). Consultations are led by Corey Anderson RN, Ahpra registration NMW0001047575.

Patients can check the [Verify Core Aesthetics](/verify/) page and the Ahpra public register before booking. This guide was reviewed on 2026-06-22 for clearer consultation first wording, risk framing and reader navigation.

### General Information Only

This page provides general information for adults considering aesthetic consultation. It is not personal medical advice, a diagnosis, urgent care, a treatment recommendation or confirmation that treatment is suitable. Individual advice requires clinical assessment.

## Is this for you?

### Consider booking a consultation if

- You are an adult wanting assessment for gum display when smiling

- You want upper lip movement, dental factors and suitability assessed before treatment is discussed

- You value a consultation-first approach with risks and expectations explained clearly

- You are open to treatment, referral, waiting or no treatment depending on assessment

### This may not be for you if

- You are seeking certainty, complete correction or a claimed appearance change

- You are seeking elective cosmetic care for someone who is not an adult

- You are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding and are seeking elective aesthetic treatment

- You have an active infection, unhealed skin or an unresolved medical concern in the area to be assessed

Suitability is confirmed at consultation. This list is general guidance, not a substitute for clinical assessment.

## Frequently asked questions

What is this guide for?

It answers a narrower movement and expression assessment question. It should help readers prepare for consultation, understand when waiting or referral may be safer, and choose a related guide if their concern is wider than this topic.

How is this different from Neck Bands Consultation Melbourne?

Use this guide when its wording most closely matches your concern, area or appointment question. Use the related guide when that page is closer to what you need to clarify. Neither page confirms suitability or replaces an individual consultation.

Does reading this page mean treatment is suitable?

No. Suitability depends on individual assessment, health history, medicines, allergies, previous treatment, expectations, timing, risk and review access. Corey Anderson RN may recommend treatment discussion, waiting, referral, review later or no cosmetic treatment.

Can I book just to ask questions?

Yes. A consultation can be used to understand the concern, ask about suitability, discuss risks and decide whether doing nothing for now is the better choice. You do not need to arrive already committed to a treatment plan.

What should I bring to the consultation?

Bring current medicines, allergies, relevant medical history, previous cosmetic treatment dates, upcoming events, travel plans and questions you want answered. Bring records from another clinic or clinician if they are relevant and available.

Can Corey recommend waiting or no treatment?

Yes. Waiting, referral, review later or no treatment may be recommended when the concern is mild, expectations are unclear, timing is poor, risk outweighs likely benefit, symptoms need another pathway or more information is needed.

Is this page personal medical advice?

No. This page is general information for adults considering consultation. It cannot diagnose a concern, confirm suitability, replace urgent care or recommend treatment. Personal advice requires an individual assessment with a qualified health practitioner.

## Continue reading

- [Book Your Consultation Choose an appointment with Corey Anderson RN for assessment, suitability, risks and consent before any treatment decision.](/book/)

- [Contact The Oakleigh Clinic Book a consultation, ask a practical question, confirm official clinic details or check the safest next step before visiting.](/contact/)

- [Corey Anderson RN Verification Check the Ahpra public register, confirm the official Core Aesthetics clinic details and understand what registration can and cannot tell you before consultation.](/verify/)

- [Cosmetic Consultation Appointments Assessment with Corey Anderson RN before any cosmetic treatment decision.](/consultations/)

- [Is Treatment Suitable For You? A consultation led explanation of how Corey Anderson RN assesses suitability, consent, risk, timing and whether treatment discussion should proceed.](/treatment-suitability-assessment/)

- [Patient Safety Before Aesthetic Decisions Patient safety starts with suitability, consent, risk discussion, aftercare planning and practitioner accountability before treatment is considered.](/patient-safety-aesthetic-consultation/)

## Clinical references

- [TGA: Advertising health services that involve therapeutic goods](https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/guidance/advertising-health-services-involve-therapeutic-goods)

- [Ahpra: Guidelines for advertising higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures](https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Cosmetic-surgery-hub/Cosmetic-procedure-advertising-guidelines.aspx)

- [Ahpra: Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures](https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Cosmetic-surgery-hub/Cosmetic-procedure-guidelines.aspx)

- [TGA: Advertising health services and cosmetic injections FAQ](https://www.tga.gov.au/products/regulations-all-products/advertising/specialised-advertising-issues-and-topics/advertising-health-services-and-cosmetic-injections-frequently-asked-questions-and-answers)

- [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gummy_smile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gummy_smile)

- [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9941039/](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9941039/)
