Crown Lengthening

Functional Crown Lengthening

Functional crown lengthening is a simple surgical procedure where the position of the gum around a tooth is adjusted to expose more of the tooth structure. If a tooth is decayed, broken below the gum line, or has insufficient tooth height; there might not be enough tooth structure available to accommodate restoration procedures, such as a crown or bridge. In these instances, crown lengthening surgery may be necessary to provide more tooth structure for your dentist to work with.

Typically, little to no discomfort is felt as your periodontist reshapes the gum and bone tissue to expose more structure of the damaged tooth. In most cases, recovery time after crown lengthening surgery is minimal, and patients can resume their normal routines the day after surgery. However, waiting 6-8 weeks before final restorative work will give the best results.

Esthetic Crown Lengthening

Esthetic crown lengthening is a procedure that can give you a smile that you always dreamed about. For patients with teeth that look uneven or have the “gummy smile”; esthetic crown lengthening might be your solution. Your teeth may actually be in the proper position and length, but the teeth are covered by too much gum tissue making them appear uneven or short. The amount of gum tissue that needs to be removed will depend on multiple factors like your smile line, lip position, and the number of teeth involved in order to create a smooth gradual curve to your smile. The gum tissue is either removed  via Gingivectomy or repositioned (with the removal of a small amount of bone) to expose more of the tooth which is visible when you smile. The gum line is then evenly sculpted to develop your new, broad smile.