Crown Lengthening & Periodontal Plastic Surgery

Crown lengthening is performed to improve the health of the gum tissue around an existing crown. Crown lengthening can also be required when your tooth needs a new crown.  Placing a crown on the tooth in the existing condition would put the edge of that crown too close to the bone or below the gum line.  This would ultimately cause chronic gum irritation and sensitivity. Crown lengthening will also expose more tooth structure so the new crown will be more retentive on the tooth and become less likely to ever come loose.

A “Gummy Smile” is used to describe an instance where teeth are covered with excess gum tissue resulting in a less aesthetically pleasing smile, often times giving the appearance of short teeth.  Minor gum reduction can often be resolved with laser surgery around a tooth or teeth in question.  In more advanced cases of excessive gum tissue, reshaping or re-contouring the bone in addition to the gum tissue may be necessary to adequately expose the hidden tooth structure.  In this case, crown lengthening can be referred to as Periodontal Plastic Surgery and can be performed on the entire gum (smile) line, if necessary.  Dr. Eisin has extensive experience and expertise with aesthetic periodontal plastic surgery techniques to enhance your smile.  This procedure may also be necessary for aesthetic outcome of crowns or veneers by your general dentist.

Crown lengthening takes approximately one hour but will largely depend on the number of teeth involved.  The procedure is performed under local anesthetic in a very comfortable setting.  Oral and conscious sedation is also available upon request. Dr. Eisin has excellent chair side manner and anesthetic techniques for pain free procedures.

When Dr. Eisin is satisfied that the teeth have sufficient exposure and the procedure is completed, sutures are placed and a  protective aesthetic covering is placed over the gums  to help secure the new gum-to-tooth relationship. Your teeth will look noticeably longer immediately after surgery because the gums have now been re-positioned. You will need to be seen in one or two weeks to remove the sutures and evaluate your healing. The surgical site should be completely healed in approximately two  months following the procedure.