Esthetic Crown Lengthening

Periodontists are often considered the plastic surgeons of dentistry. If you are looking to improve your smile, a periodontist may be able to help.

A “gummy smile” is used to describe an instance where teeth are covered with excess gum tissue resulting in a less aesthetically pleasing smile. Esthetic crown lengthening involves reshaping or recontouring the gum tissue and bone around the tooth in question, to create a new gum to tooth relationship. Crown lengthening can be performed on a single tooth, many teeth or the entire gumline.  Results are nearly immediate and can be transformational in your appearance.

What Causes a “Gummy Smile?”

A “gummy smile” can be caused my multiple reasons.  One of the most common reasons is what is called altered passive eruption, a process by which the gum tissue does not fully retract from the teeth during normal growth and development.  Below are is a video describing some of the reasons why a gummy smile may occur.

How Is The Procedure Performed?

Typically the gum tissue is reshaped into a more ideal contour, then the underlying support is modified to ensure the gum tissue will remain stable over time.  This can be performed with simple local anesthetic and you are able to drive  yourself home after the procedure.  Most patients report the post-operative discomfort as minimal.

Will I Know What It Will Look Like?

With photo editing it is possible to have a “preview” of what your smile could look like without surgery to see if it is right for you.  A smiling photo is taken and “morphed” into the expected result.  Please see below for example:

Before and After Images