Dr. Eli Janabi may perform crown lengthening if you have an excessively gummy smile. Crown lengthening exposes more of your tooth structure to give you a healthier and more even gum line and appearance.
A “gummy smile” is a smile in which the teeth appear abnormally short due to the presence of excessive gum tissue. For example, the gum tissue may appear bulky or look as if it extends over the teeth too far. This is usually the result of excessive gum tissue covering teeth that are a normal size and shape. In some cases, the excessive gum tissue may be the result of a medical problem or another cause.
Our periodontist corrects this issue by carefully removing small amounts of the gum tissue to reveal more of the tooth structure. This procedure is often performed with a laser, and can usually be completed in a single visit to our office.
While crown lengthening is often performed for aesthetic reasons, it may also be performed for functional purposes, such as making another restorative treatment possible. If a tooth is broken close to or below the gum line, or there is not enough tooth structure left for a restorative treatment to be performed, our periodontist may perform a crown lengthening procedure to expose more of the tooth so that a restoration, such as a crown or bridge, can be placed.
If you have any questions about crown lengthening in Falls Church, Virginia, or to schedule a consultation at Smile Studio Dental, call us today at 703-982-2222.
