What Is a Crown Lengthening Procedure?

A crown lengthening procedure involves exposing more of a tooth’s surface by recontouring gum tissue and sometimes shaving down bone. Reducing gum tissue ensures that more of the tooth is visible above the gumline. The procedure is generally advised for oral health concerns and, occasionally, for cosmetic reasons.

Why Do a Crown Lengthening Procedure?

Removing excess gum tissue can be for cosmetic reasons. For instance, if you suffer from a gummy smile, the teeth can appear short because gum tissue covers them. Once we do the procedure, your smile will be broader and more symmetrical.

In some cases, we could do crown lengthening for an oral health issue if:

• Your decayed or fractured tooth was below the gum line.
• We needed to firmly affix a crown on top of your broken, cracked, or misshapen tooth.
• there was excessive gum tissue, and we needed to expose more of the underlying tooth structure to ensure that there was enough tooth to hold the crown. Doing so means achieving better oral hygiene and comfort because your crown will fit properly.

Benefits of a Crown Lengthening Procedure?

Some benefits of crown lengthening include:

• In most cases, it only needs to be done once.
• The procedure’s outcome will help the restorative dentist to have a longer tooth to achieve a better crown and more cosmetic results.