Crown Lengthening

Periodontal procedures can also be used as the first steps of restorative and cosmetic dentistry procedures to help improve the appearance of your smile. You may have asked your dentist or periodontist about procedures to improve a “gummy” smile to help make your teeth appear longer. Your teeth may be the proper lengths, but they’re covered with too much gum tissue. To correct this, your periodontist performs 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 or several teeth, and even your gum line, to expose a natural, broad smile.

Your dentist or periodontist may also recommend crown lengthening to make a restorative or cosmetic dental procedure possible. Perhaps your tooth is decayed, broken below the gum line, or has insufficient tooth structure for a restoration, such as a crown or bridge. Crown lengthening adjusts the gum and bone level to expose more of the tooth to be restored.