Your smile’s appearance often depends on the balance between your teeth and gum tissue. When excessive gum tissue covers your teeth, it creates a “gummy smile” or makes teeth appear shorter than they actually are. Crown lengthening reshapes your gum line to expose more of your natural tooth structure, creating better proportions and a more balanced, confident smile. This procedure can address cosmetic concerns while also serving important functional purposes in restorative dentistry.
Periodontal care includes crown lengthening procedures designed to improve both the health and appearance of your smile. At Dental Group of Chicago, we provide crown lengthening treatments with extended hours Monday through Friday until 8 PM and Saturday availability, making it convenient for busy professionals to enhance their smiles without disrupting work schedules.
What Is Crown Lengthening?
Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure that removes excess gum tissue and sometimes bone to expose more of your tooth’s surface. The procedure reshapes the gum line to create the proper amount of visible tooth structure. While many people associate crown lengthening with cosmetic improvements, it serves both aesthetic and functional purposes in modern dentistry.
The procedure typically involves numbing the treatment area with local anesthesia, then carefully removing excess gum tissue and, when necessary, small amounts of underlying bone. The remaining gum tissue is then reshaped and sutured into its new position. The entire process usually takes one to two hours, depending on how many teeth require treatment and whether bone reshaping is necessary.
Crown lengthening differs from simple gum contouring, which only removes soft tissue without addressing bone levels. When bone reshaping is required, the procedure creates stable, long-lasting results because it establishes proper biological proportions between tooth, gum tissue, and bone. This distinction matters for both durability and overall success of the treatment.
Reasons for Crown Lengthening
Crown lengthening serves several important purposes beyond improving smile aesthetics. Many people seek the procedure to address a gummy smile, where excessive gum tissue makes teeth appear short or uneven. This cosmetic concern can affect confidence and how you present yourself in professional and social situations. By revealing more tooth structure, crown lengthening creates better proportions and a more balanced appearance.
The procedure also plays a critical role in restorative dentistry. When tooth decay or fractures extend below the gum line, your dentist needs access to healthy tooth structure to place a crown or other restoration. Crown lengthening exposes this buried tooth structure, providing a solid foundation for restorative work. Without adequate tooth structure above the gum line, restorations cannot seal properly and are prone to failure.
Some people have teeth that appear too short because excessive gum tissue or bone covers much of the tooth surface. This can occur naturally or develop due to certain medications, genetics, or oral health conditions. Crown lengthening corrects this imbalance, revealing the natural tooth length hidden beneath excess tissue. The procedure can also address uneven gum lines where some teeth appear longer than others, creating a more uniform, harmonious smile.
The Crown Lengthening Process
Before your crown lengthening procedure, we conduct a thorough evaluation, including X-rays and measurements of your gum tissue and bone levels. This planning phase helps us determine exactly how much tissue needs to be removed and whether bone reshaping will be necessary. We discuss your goals for the procedure and create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
Complete healing takes approximately three months, though your gums will look significantly better within a few weeks. During this healing period, your gum line settles into its final position. If you’re having crown lengthening to prepare for cosmetic dentistry restorations, we typically wait until healing is complete before placing permanent crowns or veneers. This waiting period ensures your restorations fit properly and look natural with your final gum line.
Results and Long-Term Outlook
Crown lengthening produces permanent results. Once tissue and bone are removed, they don’t grow back, so your new gum line remains stable. This permanence makes proper planning and execution critical to achieving results you’ll be happy with long-term. Most patients are very satisfied with their outcomes, reporting improved confidence and comfort with their smile’s appearance.
For functional crown lengthening performed to facilitate restorative work, the procedure creates a stable foundation for crowns, fillings, or other dental work. Your dentist can then place restorations with proper margins above the gum line, ensuring good seals and long-lasting results. This preparation often makes the difference between restoration success and failure.
Maintaining your results requires good oral hygiene and regular dental care. Brush twice daily and floss once daily to prevent gum disease, which could affect your gum line over time. Regular professional cleanings help maintain gum health and catch any problems early. With proper care, your crown lengthening results should last a lifetime.
Crown Lengthening at Dental Group of Chicago
We provide crown lengthening procedures for both cosmetic and restorative purposes, helping patients throughout Chicago’s South Loop and greater Chicagoland area achieve healthier, more confident smiles. Our extended hours make it convenient to schedule consultations and treatments around your busy life. We’re open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM and Saturdays from 8 AM to 2 PM, offering flexibility other practices can’t match.
If you’re unhappy with a gummy smile, need crown lengthening to prepare for restorations, or want to improve uneven gum lines, we can help you explore your options. We accept most major insurance plans, including Delta Dental, MetLife, Cigna, BlueCross BlueShield, Guardian, and United Healthcare. Our experienced dental team can evaluate your smile, discuss your goals, and create a treatment plan to help you achieve the results you want. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn how crown lengthening can enhance your smile.
