Crown Lengthening

Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure that recontours the gum tissue and underlying bone surrounding one or more teeth so that an adequate amount of healthy tooth is exposed. Crown lengthening is often performed on a tooth that is to be fitted with a crown. This procedure provides the necessary space between the supporting bone and crown, preventing the new crown from damaging the gum tissue and bone. Crown lengthening may also be performed in order to make repair of a tooth possible. If a tooth is badly worn, decayed or fractured below the gum line, crown lengthening adjusts the gum and bone levels to gain access to more of the healthy tooth so it can be restored.

Crown lengthening may also be performed to improve a “gummy smile because your teeth appear too short. Your teeth may actually be the proper length, but they are covered with too much gum tissue. To correct this, we perform crown lengthening. During this procedure, excess gum and bone tissue are reshaped to expose more of the natural tooth. This can be done to one tooth or several teeth to help create a natural broad smile.

Decayed tooth, before crown lengthening.	Crown lengthening exposes more of the healthy tooth.	Crown is successfully placed.