What is Crown Lengthening?

Crown lengthening surgery is used to help keep the gums around a crown healthy. A patient's gums drape around every tooth in the mouth and the gums protect the tooth and the bone that holds the tooth in the mouth. The top of the gums bond to the surface of the tooth and this bond prevents food from getting stuck between the tooth and gums.

The gums need at least two millimeters of tooth to bond to in order for the gums to be effective in preventing food from getting trapped under the gums. A tooth and surrounding bone will develop serious problems if food collects under the gums.

Sometimes a part of a tooth will crack off so that the needed two millimeters for the gums to bond to is not available. Another reason that the needed two millimeters might not be available is when a tooth decays and after cleaning the decay out of the tooth, the dentist finds that there is less than two millimeters of tooth left. A dentist can use crown lengthening to recreate this needed amount of exposed tooth.

Crown Lengthening Procedure

The crown lengthening procedure is simple. The patient is numbed a small amount of gum is removed to create two millimeters of tooth for the gums to stick to.

The gums are allowed to heal over 2-4 weeks and a crown can then be constructed on this tooth without the crown stealing the needed two millimeters of tooth for the gums to stick to.

Are there benefits to this procedure?

Whether you have crown lengthening to improve function or esthetics, patients often receive the benefits of both a beautiful new smile and improved periodontal health - your introduction to greater confidence for smiling, eating and speaking with comfort.