Crown Lengthening to the Rescue:  When Gums and Teeth Need an Intervention

When the gum to tooth relationship has deteriorated, you may hear us suggest a procedure called “crown lengthening”.  Many patients are a little bit hesitant about having this procedure done because it’s a relatively new idea.  They simply aren’t sure what it is and more to the point: they aren’t sure why they have to have it.  So if you have an upcoming crown lengthening procedure Smile 2scheduled, read on to find out why we might be doing it and what to expect.

What is Crown Lengthening?

The idea behind crown lengthening is to expose more of the tooth or bone under the tooth by contouring and reshaping your gum tissue.  This restores a good “gum-to-tooth relationship” (so that more tooth is showing).

Why am I having this procedure?

Sometimes crown lengthening is done for aesthetic reasons, for example to reveal more pearly white teeth when a patient is concerned about an overly “gummy” smile.

Other times, crown lengthening is necessary if we need to install a new crown or perform other restorative work in the area but there simply isn’t enough tooth showing for us to work with.

What’s the big deal about crown lengthening?

Crown lengthening is a great improvement when you consider the old way we used to deal with this issue which was to remove what was left of the tooth and use a removable denture instead.  Now you get to keep your naturally rooted tooth and we will install a more or less permanent crown – no dentures to deal with!

What is the procedure like?

Usually it can be done in less than an hour, depending on how many teeth need work.  Also, typically the procedure can be done under local anesthesia so you can be in and out on time!

Still have questions?  Call us today to ease your anxieties about this smile-transforming, modern procedure!