Unhappy with the appearance of a “gummy” smile? You may be a good candidate for a procedure called cosmetic crown lengthening.

This periodontal procedure is designed to expose more tooth structure prior to restorative and cosmetic dentistry and/or to improve the esthetics of your gum line. A frequently asked question is whether we can change the esthetics of a gummy smile because the teeth appear somewhat short. Your teeth can actually be of proper length and just covered with excessive gum tissue. In such circumstances, a crown lengthening procedure will correct this by exposing the shape of your natural teeth.

Crown lengthening can also be done to single teeth to “even out” your gum line and create a more symmetrical smile.

If your teeth are decayed, fractured at or below the gum line or have insufficient tooth structure for new crown retention, a “Clinical crown lengthening” procedure may be recommended by Dr. Britten to enable your general dentist to perform a restorative and/or cosmetic dental procedure.