• Functional crown lengthening is a procedure that is used to prepare a tooth, or a group of teeth for a restorative procedure. For instance, you may have fractured a crown below the gumline, and the dentist requires a more solid amount of tooth structure exposed in order to place a prosthetic crown (cap) in a predictable manner.
• Another reason may be that you have a cavity under your gumline, that the dentist is not able to remove and fill due to poor access. In this case, the gums and underlying bone needs to be recontoured in a way that gives the dentist access to your hidden cavity, in order to save the tooth.
• Esthetic crown lengthening is performed when patients wish more of the crowns of their teeth exposed that may be hidden under their gums, in order to give a more appropriate length to their teeth, and help correct a “gummy” smile. This may also help when there is asymmetry between gum levels on either side.
• In both of these circumstances, your gums and underlying bone needs to be recontoured to allow for a predictable and esthetic outcome.

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