Crown Lengthening

Crown lengthening is often used to advance the health of gum tissue or to emend a gummy smile. A gummy smile occurs when teeth are hidden by extra gum tissue and creates a smile that can be unsightly. The procedure of crown lengthening includes reshaping gum tissue and bone surrounding the teeth and can be done on a single tooth, several teeth, or the entire gum-line.

The procedure is recommended for patients whose teeth need a new crown or other form of restoration. Usually, the edge of the restoration is too close to the bone. Crown lengthening enables a lengthening of tooth structure, allowing a patient who undergoes the procedure to brush and floss the edge of the restoration in order to further prevent gum disease and decay.

Though crown lengthening depends on the number of teeth requiring treatment and may be prolonged if bone needs to be removed, the procedure usually takes about one hour. Often, local anesthetic is used and various small incisions are made around gum tissue to separate it from the teeth. In the event that only one tooth requires crown lengthening, adjusting surrounding teeth is probably still necessary to give room for an even looking reshaping. Sometimes, it is also necessary to remove a small amount of bone.

Upon completion of the procedure, Dr. Ledesma will clean the incisions with sterile water. In order to secure the newly developed gum-tooth relationship, sutures and bandages will be utilized. Even right after surgery, your teeth will appear noticeably longer. After a week or two, it is necessary that you return for an evaluation appointment to ensure that you are healing properly. Patients are fully healed in about two to three months after the procedure.