Crooked smiles are quite common—they may be a natural part of a person’s appearance or result from incorrect botulinum toxin placement. Even a slight misstep, just millimeters off, can lead to this complication. Fortunately, both natural and treatment-related crooked smiles can be managed effectively.
In this blog, Dr. Julene discusses how to correct a crooked smile using botulinum toxin.
When Botox is injected into the depressor labii muscle it can freeze one side of the mouth, creating a stiff, uneven smile. The depressor anguli oris (DAO) is the correct target for reducing lines and wrinkles around the mouth. However, because these muscles are close together, inexperienced injectors may accidentally miss the DAO.
Treating Crooked Smile After Botox: Wait or Do Something About It?
The “easiest” way to treat crooked smile after Botox is to do nothing. Because the effects of Botox are temporary, crooked smile usually is as well. Your smile should go back to normal within four months of treatment.
Four months is a long time to walk around with an unnatural-looking smile, though. If you’d like to do something about it sooner, your best option is to schedule another Botox treatment at your earliest convenience.
Using Botox to Fix Crooked Smile
Using more Botox to fix Botox complications? It can work—with the right expertise. Complications like a crooked smile often happen with inexperienced injectors. To fix it, choose a skilled provider with advanced Botox training.
The corrective procedure for crooked smile is straightforward. Usually, it requires just a bit more Botox in the depressor anguli oris muscle or targeted Botox injections around the incorrect injection location to “balance out” the asymmetry.
But every patient is different, so your treatment plan may look different. The most important thing to remember is that if you can’t wait, you don’t have to. And don’t settle for a provider you don’t trust.
