Crown Lengthening

Crown lengthening is a necessary periodontal procedure when there is not enough of the crown available to work on a tooth. In addition, it can be used cosmetically when there is excess gum tissue covering up some of the crown, making teeth appear short. We can perform crown lengthening here in our Cary, NC dental practice, Smiles of Cary.

A crown lengthening procedure is not actually adding tooth material; it instead removes gum tissue to expose more of the crown of a tooth. The crown part of the tooth is what shows outside the gums. Crown lengthening is needed in cases where there is decay under the gumline, or when a tooth needs a replacement crown, but there is not enough tooth above the gums to work with. Cosmetically, it can be used when a person has excess gum tissue. Often referred to as “gummy smile”, this condition makes the teeth appear shorter than they really are.

To start the procedure, incisions are made to the gums to allow them to be pulled back. In some cases, when the tooth needs to be worked on below the jaw bone, that will be removed to gain access to the tooth. The gums are then cleaned and stitched into place. Even if only one tooth needs to be worked on, several teeth in the area have the gums pulled back so they can heal in a natural-looking line.

To learn more about the crown lengthening procedure, be sure to visit our website. To schedule an appointment with Smiles of Cary in Cary, NC, call our office at (919) 462-3350 or visit our website, www.smilesofcary.com.