Crown fitting is an ever-frequent treatment at Etwall Dental Practice. Dental crowns act as tooth-shaped caps, fitting over natural teeth. They’re often recommended by our dental experts when a tooth is misshapen or cracked. In some instances, crowns will also be used to complement other dental procedures such as bridges, implants, and root canals.

What Is Crown Lengthening?

Patients can often find themselves with what’s known as a ‘gummy smile’, whereby excessive gingival (gum tissue) is on display. Whilst someone who’s in need of a crown lengthening procedure may look like they have short teeth, they’re actually the typical size, covered by excess gum tissue.

Crown lengthening surgery involves removing soft tissue, and sometimes bone tissue, to increase the amount of visible tooth.

Do I Need Crown Lengthening?

The majority of patients will require crown lengthening to expose decayed or broken teeth, whilst some may request the treatment for cosmetic purposes

Some patients request crown lengthening for cosmetic purposes, while others find the procedure essential, to expose decayed or broken areas of teeth. Alternatively, as aforementioned, dentists may perform a crown lengthening procedure to expose more tooth structure before a bridge or other surgical procedures are performed.

How To Prepare For Crown Lengthening

As with any procedure, we’d recommend visiting us to determine if crown lengthening is the correct treatment for you.

If the surgery is suitable, it’s vital that your gums and all round oral health are in an acceptable condition, prior to surgery. Ensuring you remain on top of brushing carefully, using mouthwash and most importantly, flossing at least twice a day, will help make the whole procedure as smooth as possible.

Before the surgery itself, a periodontist will perform an analysis to determine the new location of the gum line. In correlation, they also assess your teeth, gums, and surrounding structures, which determines the appropriate surgical technique.

Crown Lengthening Procedure

There are numerous ways the treatment can be performed. Each are dependant on each patient’s situation. Some may just want excess gum tissue removed, whilst others may need to also reshape bone tissue. The different treatment types are as follows:

• gingivectomy
• apically repositioned flap surgery
• surgical extrusion

Gingivectomy utilises a scalpel, laser or electrocautery to remove the excess tissue. For this treatment, patients will receive local anaesthesia. Of the three variants, laser surgery usually offers the least amount of pain, with some patients experiencing any pain go away shortly after the treatment. Gums will likely heal after just a few days.

Apically repositioned flap surgery involves making an incision in the gums, creating a flap of tissue. Any extra tissue, as well as bone, is then removed.

When a tooth is fractured beneath the gum, a surgical extrusion will be utilized. This involves moving the tooth to the desired location. Stitches may be used during this process but will dissolve over time.

Maintain your oral health or get expert medical advice from Etwall Dental Practice. If you feel as though you may require crown lengthening or another dental treatment, please get in touch with us via phone on 01283 733391 or fill out our contact form and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.