Crown Lengthening

Crown lengthening surgery is a procedure that is done to create a longer clinical crown
for a tooth by removing some of the gum tissue and/or some of the alveolar bone from
the necks of the teeth. This can be done when the remaining tooth structure is
inadequate to support the needed restoration or to improve the esthetic appearance of
the teeth where there is excessive gum tissue, sometimes known as a gummy smile.
The doctor will begin by making a series of small incisions around the soft tissue, and
separating the gum tissue away from the teeth exposing the roots and supporting bone.
In some cases only gum tissue will need to be removed to provide enough tooth
exposure to place the crown, in other cases the doctor may also need to remove a small
amount of supporting bone from around the teeth. The surgical area will then be
cleaned with sterile water and the gum tissue will be stitched together. The site