Crown Lengthening for Gummy Smiles​​​​​​​

If you have a gummy smile, then your teeth may appear to be too short. The main part of your smile may appear to be only gums, or you may see a significant portion of the gums when you are smiling. The good news is that you do not need to live with a smile that you do not love. Crown lengthening can help.

 

What Is Crown Lengthening?

During crown lengthening, a dental surgeon will recontour the gum tissue. Sometimes, even the bone is contoured during this procedure. This will help to expose more of the surface of the tooth for the crown. This is a fairly common procedure. It often takes less than an hour in total to complete.
 

Crown lengthening is perfect when a patient has a gummy smile. It might also be necessary if you need to get a crown and there is not enough of the tooth to hold the crown. This procedure helps to reduce unnecessary gum tissue while shaving down the bone if necessary. This can also increase your comfort and your self-confidence.

 

What to Expect During Crown Lengthening

Before you have crown lengthening, you will meet with your periodontist. You will give them a medical history and you might have X-rays taken. If you have already had X-rays, your periodontist will review them with you. During this appointment, you will also talk to the surgeon about any of your medications. If you need to discontinue any of them, the surgeon will let you know.
 

The crown lengthening procedure itself is performed as an outpatient procedure. That way, you can go home as soon as it is over. The length of the procedure will depend on how many teeth need this procedure. If bone needs to be removed as well, the procedure can take longer. If you have any temporary crowns on your teeth, you may have them removed before. They will be replaced afterward.
 

Most people will receive local anesthesia for the procedure. Sometimes, patients might receive a sedative. The periodontist will then cut away your gums from your teeth. This will expose the roots and the bone. Sometimes, only the gum tissue needs to be removed. In this case, the bone will not be exposed.
 

After the gums have been cut away, the area will then be washed with saltwater. This will sanitize it. The surgeon can then suture it together again. You might have a bandage over the area as well.

 

Recovering From Crown Lengthening

You can expect to spend about three months recovering from crown lengthening. However, you can resume a normal life after the gums have healed. Your periodontist will only require you to avoid strenuous activity for the first couple of days. If you have too much physical exertion before this time, you might prolong the bleeding. This will make your recovery time take longer and could cause an infection.

 

For more information crown lengthening for gummy smiles, contact Arlington Dentistry by Design, today. We look forward to hearing from you.