Crown Lengthening
Crown Lengthening
A crown lengthening is a surgical procedure in which the dentist reshapes the gum tissue to expose more of the tooth's surface. There are many reasons why dentists might indicate this procedure, but the most common ones are the following:
- To treat "gummy smiles": patients that show too much gum tissue when the smile might benefit from a surgical crown lengthening. After we remove a small amount of gum tissue, teeth look bigger, and smiles seem whiter!
- To place dental crowns: some patients need crowns but don't have enough tooth structure to house them, which usually happens in severely injured or decayed teeth. In these cases, the dentist has no choice but to perform this procedure to place the crown and avoid fractures and other future problems.
A crown lengthening surgery is typically performed by a specialist, and it begins with the patient receiving local anesthesia to numb the surgical site.
Once the gums are numbed, our dentist or periodontist removes the gum tissue (and bone if required) using either a blade or laser light. Our dentist will make precise and clean incisions and rinse the area with sterile saline solution.
When the desired results are obtained, we will give stitches to the area to close the wound and cover it with a dressing. This will keep gums in place and protect the area from infections.