Will Facial Plastic Surgery Change Someone’s Smile?
February 24, 2026 | Uncategorized
Patients frequently ask if facial aesthetic plastic surgery will change the appearance of
their smile. This question comes up in discussions about facelifts, lip lifts, rhinoplasty,
and genioplasty. It is very natural that people would want to know if procedures
performed on the tissues around the mouth will change the nature of their smile, given
the connection and proximity of those tissues. There is clearly an anatomic relationship
between the tissues modified by a facelift, a lip lift, a genioplasty, and the lips
themselves. So it stands to reason that these procedures do have the potential to
change the nature of someone’s smile.
Nonetheless, I find this question a little difficult to answer for two reasons.
The first reason is that people have many different smiles depending on their mood and
energy level. In fact, I like to say that nobody ever smiles the exact same way twice,
meaning there are an infinite number of smiles one might have. So when something as
variable as a smile is involved, it is hard to say whether it has actually changed.
The second reason it can be difficult to answer this question — especially when it arises
after surgery — is that when people intentionally try to make a smile, it is rarely a
natural one. People who suspect a change in their smile are often making a very
deliberate, unusual expression in the mirror and comparing it to a photograph in which
they made a spontaneous smile. That is really not the best comparison.
I think the best answer to the question is: yes, facial plastic surgery procedures have the
potential to change the smile, and it is important to know this going into any procedure. I
hope patients understand in advance that these changes are often very favorable. In
fact, procedures of the face that create more balance and a more youthful appearance
will generally also create a beneficial impact on the smile itself.
The most obvious example of a change in the smile would be someone who has a lip
lift. A lip lift shortens the length of the upper lip. It stands to reason that if you are
changing the length of the upper lip — and given that the lips are an important part of
the smile — there will be a change in the smile. Rhinoplasty also has the potential to
change the smile. People often think this occurs because a muscle attaching the nose
to the lip area has been divided, which is a maneuver very frequently performed in
rhinoplasty. However, when people believe their smile has changed, they are usually
observing it immediately after surgery when there is still swelling and stiffness. Once the
edema has resolved, patients very infrequently note a change in their smile, and almost
never believe the change has been negative. Genioplasty changes the size and
projection of the chin. Given that the chin supports the lower lip, and the lower lip is an
important part of the smile, a genioplasty may change the appearance of the smile as
well. Once again, these changes can be favorable, because supporting the lower lip can
raise it and cover some of the lower teeth that may become more exposed with age
when smiling. This effect is similar to the youthful impact of a lip lift, which allows people
to show a little more of their upper teeth when they smile — a characteristic associated
with a youthful appearance. The same is true for facelifts. Facelifts often elevate the
outer corners of the mouth, and when performed as a SMAS or deep plane facelift
without excessive skin traction, the corners of the mouth are lifted rather than pulled
outward. This creates a favorable impact on the smile by reducing a downturned or
frowning appearance.
So once again, the safest assumption a patient can make when going into a facial
plastic surgery procedure is that there may be a change in the appearance of their
smile. Generally, especially once all of the edema has resolved, that impact is
favorable.
Author: Dr. Adam Bryce Weinfeld, M.D., Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Austin, Texas, Facial Plastic Surgery Specialist, Double Fellowship Trained
At the time of this blog publication, Dr. Weinfeld has over 17 years of experience in deep plane and smas Facelifts, rhinoplasties, lip lifts, and genioplasties.
For a consultation visit Contact Page.