If you’ve always been bothered by a smile that shows too much gum, uneven gum, and  too short teeth, the procedure called crown lengthening may be the solution for you. Crown lengthening can reduce the amount of gum that's showing in your smile and can make teeth look longer. However, you need to have an exam and consultation with the dentist for recommendation of treatment. Although crown lengthening is a common and safe procedure, it does involve surgery, which always has risks.

Crown Lengthening procedure

Crown lengthening is a surgery treatment that involves removing a small amount of gum tissue and possibly a small amount of supporting bone around the teeth to make them look longer.

The procedure performed under local anesthesia. After the area is numbed, the dentist  will make small cuts to relieve  the gums away from the teeth, gum and/or supporting bone around the tooth will be re-contoured to expose more tooth structure. The gums  will then be adapted back onto the teeth and are  stitched up.

The dentist will schedule you  post-operative visits to confirm your mouth has healed and is ready for additional the restorative treatment. 

Recovery and risks of complication from a Crown Lengthening Procedure

You may experience swelling and pain afterwards. Following surgery, you’ll be given a prescription for a pain medication and instructed to use ice to reduce any swelling. We recommend soft foods diet  and brush your teeth carefully near surgical area. The stitches will come out in 7 to 10 days.

Recovery can take a few days to a few weeks, depending on how extensive the surgery is.

Possible complications include excessive bleeding and infection, but these are rare.

Crown lengthening and Bonding

Image 1 : Patient with short teeth appearance and gaps  between teeth. When smiling, excessive gum and dark spaces between teeth become more prominent and unattractive.

Image 2 : crown lengthening procedure has been performed on 4 upper front teeth. The results are longer teeth and less showing gum when smiling.

Image 3: After gum healing, the bonding have been done on 6 upper teeth to close up gaps between them.

The crown lengthening and bonding procedures can transform your smile and give you a much more attractive look. The whole effect is brighter and fuller smile!

COST

$100-$900 for crown lengthening, costs vary widely depending on how extensive the treatment is. The final cost must be evaluated on a case by case basis.

$300 per tooth for bonding.

Insurance may pick up some of the cost for crown lengthening.