hey people--whatever you do, don't get orthognathic surgery if you don't have to!!! it's expensive - anywhere from 40-60k. and in MOST cases, unnecessary. i just saw Dr. Farnooshand had the lip lowering procedure done.
i won't kid you-- it was painful for 10 days afterward and i had to eat soft food throughout.
but now my smile is perfect! i wish i'd done this when i was in high school. he said it's easiest to do when people see him before they've had braces (which i did) and the tissue is very easy to work with.
i can't recommend him highly enough. he really understood my problem immediately: i didn't qualify for merely cutting gum tissue. my upper lip also flattened out so much that my nose wrinkled when i smiled. it really bugged me for years.
he ended up having to cut excess bony tissue above the gums...like i said, painful but worth it and it costs anywhere from 6-10k depending on the severity of your problem.

btw, i had a consultation w/ Dr. Ellenbogen who does the silicone chip implant...and i decided i didn't want an artificial item in my body; which is the same reason i didn't go the Botox route. i REALLY didn't want to get hooked on having to get injections for the rest of my life. i'm so happy i went with Dr. Farnoosh. people fly from all over the world to see him. he's a total pro and he's done so many of these that he's developed different techniques to use on patients to get the right result.
i find i'm smiling aaaalll the time...making up for lost time!