The overall goal of crown lengthening is to improve the prosthetic life of a tooth. It can dramatically improve a “gummy” smile.
This involves reducing the gum and bone tissue around one or several teeth to expose more of the natural tooth and improve the appearance. It can also be used on a decayed or broken down the tooth to enable a restoration or crown & bridge to be placed.
Some teeth may appear shorter than they actually are. This is caused by extra gum covering not only the root but also the crown part of the tooth. By removing some of the excess bone and gum, the teeth can assume a more appealing and natural length.
Crown to root ratios
Approximately 2/3 of the entire tooth is the “root” below the gum level acting as an anchor, with 1/3 of the tooth or “crown” visible.