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Crown lengthening
Dental procedure / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure performed by a dentist, or more frequently a periodontist, where more tooth is exposed by removing some of the gingival margin (gum) and supporting bone.[1] Crown lengthening can also be achieved orthodontically (using braces) by extruding the tooth.
Crown lengthening is done for functional and/or esthetic reasons. Functionally, crown lengthening is used to: 1) increase retention and resistance when placing a fabricated dental crown,[2] 2) provide access to subgingival caries, 3) access accidental tooth perforations, and 4) access external root resorption.[citation needed] Esthetically, crown lengthening is used to alter gum and tooth proportions, such as in a gummy smile. There are a number of procedures used to achieve an increase in crown length.[3]