Crown Lengthening in Gainesville, VA

Crown lengthening is a periodontal procedure that our skilled periodontal specialist offers to create a balanced and healthy smile. Oral concerns like a “gummy smile,” overgrown gum tissue, or insufficient tooth structure on which to place a filling or crown restoration can often be corrected with crown lengthening procedures. Crown lengthening works through the removal of gum tissue from the gumline to expose a greater surface area of the underlying tooth. At Atlas Walk Dental & Orthodontics, we may recommend crown lengthening to achieve cosmetic or functional results. For more information on crown lengthening services from our skilled periodontist, contact our friendly Gainesville, VA practice today and schedule your consultation.

Patients who are candidates for a crown lengthening procedure have gum tissue that is overgrown or genetically unproportionate to the teeth. This creates a cosmetic concern, creating the look of a gummy smile or teeth that appear to be too short. Functional conditions that may require crown lengthening include a tooth that needs to be restored with a filling, crown, or bridge but the level of the gum tissue prevents the proper placement of a restoration. In such cases, crown lengthening with our periodontal specialist can remove excess tissue (and sometimes bone) to reveal a greater surface area of the teeth and a more attractive and balanced smile.

Atlas Walk Dental & Orthodontics is proud to offer comprehensive care to help you and your family get the care you need for healthy, beautiful smiles. We take two approaches to crown lengthening, depending on your cosmetic desires and treatment needs.

• Aesthetic Crown Lengthening: This treatment is used to enhance the cosmetic appearance of your smile zone by removing excess or overgrown gum tissue from around the teeth. The result is an attractive, balanced smile that offers a more visually appealing tooth and gum ratio.

• Functional Crown Lengthening: We use functional crown lengthening to enable our dental team to effectively treat and restore a damaged tooth. A small amount of gum and bone tissue is removed to increase the surface area needed to accommodate and hold a filling or crown or the end of a bridge.

To ensure a comfortable crown lengthening procedure, our periodontal specialist will numb your gums with a local anesthetic. Sedation methods can also be incorporated into your care to help you stay relaxed. Our periodontist will then use refined skill and an advanced laser technique to gently remove excess gum tissue, and bone tissue if necessary, from around your teeth. The gum tissue will be sculpted to frame the tooth structure and expose more of the tooth to create a proper proportion and an even appearance. Our team will then rinse your gum tissues and provide you with post-op instructions.

You may experience minor discomfort and swelling following your crown lengthening visit and should take it easy for the rest of the day. Cold compresses and over-the-counter pain medication can be used to improve your comfort. Depending on the extent of your treatment needs, our periodontist may provide a prescription pain reliever. Our team will give you specific instructions on caring for your mouth while you heal. Eating a soft food diet may be ideal until your gum tissues have stabilized. We may schedule a follow-up visit about a week after your procedure to check your healing and recovery process. Keeping up with regularly scheduled dental cleanings and exams at Atlas Walk Dental & Orthodontics is key to maintaining your oral health after crown lengthening treatment.

Coverage for crown lengthening may vary based on why the treatment is being performed and among providers and plans. Before your treatment begins, our financial team will contact your insurance company and review your benefits schedule. We will let you know of any amount that is not covered and can discuss our flexible payment options, such as financing through CareCredit®. If you do not have insurance, our practice will be happy to work with you and help you find a payment solution that fits within your budget.

If excess gum tissue is keeping you from enjoying a confident and healthy smile, crown lengthening may be the solution for you. Crown lengthening from our experienced periodontist can transform a gummy smile into an attractive and balanced grin. This procedure may also be performed to improve your oral function by creating the space needed to restore a tooth. Schedule a treatment consultation at Atlas Walk Dental & Orthodontics in Gainesville, VA today to learn if crown lengthening can meet your oral health and smile needs.