Crown Lengthening, Who Needs it? What’s the Procedure like?

Are your gums taking center stage when you smile? At Surrey Place Dental Group, our dentists and the team offer crown lengthening services to expose more of the tooth’s crown. We can perform crown lengthening on one or several teeth or your entire gum line — depending on your unique smile needs.

What is crown lengthening?

The odds are that you know what a crown is. But to be on the same page, a crown is the visible part of your tooth — the white part that pokes out of the top of the gums. With that said, ever heard about crown lengthening? It’s a procedure to remove excess gingival tissue and possibly some bone or both to expose more of your tooth. If you have an asymmetrical gum line, crown lengthening can sculpt the gum tissue for a more even smile.

While crown lengthening is done for aesthetic reasons, sometimes it can be recommended for functional purposes. Here are the two types of crown lengthening:

• Functional crown lengthening: Your dentist may lengthen your tooth to support the installation of a dental cap. Exposing more of your tooth provides a stable anchorage for a dental crown. Besides, the procedure may be recommended to access tooth decay beneath the gum tissue.
• Aesthetic crown lengthening: If you have a gummy smile or an irregular gum line, crown lengthening reshapes your gums to add symmetry to your smile.

What to expect during crown lengthening procedure

Crown lengthening is a minor outpatient procedure completed in about an hour at our office. Before the treatment, we administer anesthesia, but if you have dental anxiety, we can discuss our sedation dentistry options.

The treatment involves cutting the tissue using a scalpel to pull away the gums from the teeth. In some cases, your gum tissue may be sculpted using a laser. This treatment is painless and less invasive compared to traditional procedures. After evaluating your dental health, your dentist will determine the ideal crown lengthening procedure.

Crown lengthening services for a healthy, beautiful smile

Feel like you need crown lengthening in Surrey, BC? Please dial (604) 969-4212 to schedule an appointment with Surrey Place Dental Group. Our team of dentists will determine whether crown lengthening is right for you.