Crown Lengthening for Esthetics

Patients may sometimes report that they have a “gummy smile” because they feel their teeth appear short. Other times, they may notice unevenness between the heights of 2 adjacent teeth. Dr. Valentin Dabuleanu will be able to assess whether the teeth involved are in fact the proper length, but just covered by too much natural gum tissue. This unevenness may be corrected with a crown lengthening procedure. During the procedure excess gum and bone tissue is reshaped to expose more of the natural tooth that is visible. This can be done on either one or several teeth as needed to re-create harmony to the smile line.

A crown lengthening procedure takes approximately one hour. It may be done with local anaesthetic alone, or in combination with sedation. Most patients are back at work one day after having had crown lengthening. The majority of healing takes place during the first week, and patients may then resume most of their normal eating and oral hygiene practices. The tissue underneath continues to mature however, and full healing of the gums takes 4-6 weeks. The tooth or teeth receiving treatment will look noticeably longer afterwards. Dr. Valentin Dabuleanu will see you for a 1-week and 6-week post-operative check before your dentist places the final dental restoration or crown.