Is Crown Lengthening Something That Could Help You?

Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure that is performed when not enough of the crown of a tooth is showing. It can be done on one or several teeth and has many benefits. But what is it exactly and how do you know if it is something that is right for you?

Gum Reshaping


Perhaps you have a very gummy smile, or maybe a tooth has broken off at the gum line, or even if you are being fitted for a crown and there is not enough tooth showing to properly adhere it to your existing tooth. Whatever the reason, you may end up in our office needing a crown lengthening procedure. During a dental crown lengthening procedure, we carefully remove excess gum or bone tissue and reshape it to expose more of your natural tooth. We use local anesthesia for most of these procedures and even if you have only one tooth that needs crown lengthening, you should be aware that it may involve the surrounding teeth as well.

If you are restoring a tooth, you may need to have a crown lengthening procedure done first so that your restorative dental procedures don’t weaken, break or even fall out. Commonly, we perform crown lengthening for short teeth, a tooth that has been broken or fractured below the gum line and in some cases, even when there is severe tooth decay below the gum line. Reshaping the gum line and in some cases reducing the bone level can help us have more surface of your natural tooth to work with.

Whether you want to aesthetically change the appearance of your smile due to extra gum tissue or you need restoration of your smile due to any of the previously mentioned situations, we are here to help you. Give our office a call today, we would love to hear from you!