Crown Lengthening
Phoenix, AZ
When you think about the perfect smile, you probably have images of perfectly straight, bright white teeth. Moreover, while this is a component of a beautiful smile, it’s only a part of it. Your gums can affect the appearance of your smile. Excess gum tissue can make your teeth look small, and detracts from your smile’s beauty. At Implant and Periodontal Wellness Center of Arizona, we can remove excess gum tissue, and restore a natural, even gum line, giving you a smile you’ve always wanted, with a crown lengthening procedure
What Is Crown Lengthening?
Simply put, crown lengthening is an oral procedure that involves removing excess gum tissue, and possibly some bone, around your upper teeth, restoring a natural gumline and making your teeth look longer. It can also be used if you have uneven gums, as it can sculpt the gums to create an even gumline. With a crown lengthening procedure, you will be able to smile confidently, and others won’t be able to help but take notice.
What Does the Procedure Involve?
Crown lengthening is normally performed under a local anesthetic. However, if you are particularly anxious, we can provide you with a sedative as well, to help you relax. The length of the procedure depends largely upon how many teeth we are working on, and whether or not bone will need to be removed along with your gum tissue. If you have dental restorations on the teeth being treated (such as crowns), we will have to remove them first, and then replace them when the procedure is complete.
We begin the procedure by making several small incisions in the gums, separating the tissue from your teeth. This provides us with access to the roots of your teeth and the surrounding bone. Depending upon your specific needs, we may only need to remove gum tissue, or we may also need to remove a small amount of bone. The excess tissue (and bone, if necessary) is removed, and your gums washed with a sterile solution. We then stitch your gums back up against your teeth. Even if we are only correcting the gum tissue over only one tooth, we will treat adjacent teeth to ensure more even results.
Other Reasons for Crown Lengthening
Correcting a gummy smile is one of the most common reasons for a crown lengthening procedure. There are a few other instances that may call for the procedure as well:| • |
Fixing damaged teeth. If you have damage at or below the gumline, such as a crack or decay, a crown lengthening allows us access to the tooth below the gumline to properly prepare it for a restoration.
|
| • |
Dental crowns. With a crown lengthening, more space is provided between the supporting bone and crown, preventing the crown from damaging your gum tissue.
|
| • |
Prevention of gum disease. Excess gum tissue can harbor harmful bacteria that can promote gum disease. Crown lengthening removes that excess gum tissue to make your smile both healthy and beautiful. To learn more about gum disease and treatment check out our Periodontal Wellness Program. |
With a crown lengthening procedure, we can give you a beautiful smile, and help you to regain your confidence. Call Implant and Periodontal Wellness Center of Arizona today to schedule your consultation! |
