Crown Lengthening - Hixson, TN

Are you bothered by an overly “gummy smile” or teeth that seem too small? You might be a good candidate for crown lengthening, a surgical treatment where excess gum tissue around the upper teeth is removed to make the teeth more proportional. This procedure might also be performed to sculpt the gum line to produce a more symmetrical smile. Crown lengthening will give you beautiful, aesthetic results while helping improve your oral health.

Esthetic crown lengthening is a cosmetic procedure that can beautify your smile by exposing more of your natural teeth to make them appear larger or more proportional. Functional crown lengthening is a similar procedure. Functional crown lengthening might be necessary if there is decay or fracture under the gum line. It can also help expose more of the tooth’s structure in order to support a filling or porcelain crown.

Benefits of crown lengthening:

• Creates a symmetrical smile
• Healthy tooth/gum ratio
• 30 to 60-minute procedure
• Improves oral health
• Completed in one appointment

Crown lengthening is performed under local anesthesia and, if the patient chooses, under IV sedation. After the area is numbed, we will gently retract the gums away from the teeth and remove excess tissue. In some cases, a tiny bit of bone that may be covering up part of the teeth may need to be taken out as well. The surgery can usually be completed in 30 minutes to an hour. Most patients can return to their normal routine within a few short days.