Dr. Alex Pezeshkian, 6101 Ball Rd. Suite 310 Cypress, California 90630
Servicing all of the following cities:
Cypress, CA Orange County, CA Garden Grove, CA Cerritos, CA Buena Park, CA
Dental Implants- Periodontal Treatment- Tissue Grafts- Bone Grafts- Sinus Augmentation
Crown lengthening is usually performed in order to prepare the tooth/teeth for restorative or cosmetic procedures. In addition, crown lengthening procedures can also be used to correct a "gummy" smile. Crown lengthening exposes more of the tooth by reshaping bone and gum tissue. Crown lengthening is a versatile and common procedure that has many benefits.
Some of the most common reasons for crown lengthening are:
Crown lengthening is normally performed under local anesthetic. The amount of time this procedure takes will largely depend on the patient. The dentist will make a series of small incisions around the soft tissue in order to separate the gums away from the teeth. Even if only one tooth requires the re-contour, neighboring teeth are usually treated to provide a more even reshaping. Separating the gums provides the dentist with access to the roots of the teeth and the underlying bone. In some cases, the removal of a small amount of tissue will provide enough tooth exposure to place a crown. In other cases, the dentist will also need to remove a small amount of bone from around the teeth. The bone is usually removed using a combination of special hand instruments, and rotary instruments. The rotary instruments roughly resemble the drill that is used in cavity treatment. When the teeth have sufficient exposure, the gum tissue will be sutured with small stitches. The teeth will look longer immediately after surgery because the gums have now been repositioned. The periodontist will patch the surgical site using a periodontal bandage, which serves to prevent infection. Perscriptions may be given for pain, and an antimicrobial mouth rinse my be given to reduce bacteria.
Below is a young patient who went through crown lengthening and lip lowering for a more esthetic smile.
BEFORE AFTER