Canadian Academy of Periodontology

Esthetic crown lengthening

It is possible that during normal growth and development too much gum tissue forms around the teeth. This is often referred to as a "gummy" smile (top picture).

Teeth will appear shortened and the gum margin where the gum contacts the tooth may appear to have a ledge as opposed to a fine contour line.

The esthetic crown-lengthening is a procedure similar to conventional crown-lengthening. Its goal is to establish proper gingival contours while exposing the complete crown of the tooth (bottom picture).