Did you find out you have a cavity or are in need of a crown, but you require a surgical procedure first? The treatment you most likely are in need of is something we might recommend at our cosmetic dental office in Chicago. Crown lengthening requires skill and sculpting as we reshape the gums at the base of your teeth to show or expose more of your tooth’s surface or enamel. In the case of needing crown lengthening prior to fixing a cavity or getting a crown, there are a couple of reasons why this is necessary. Sometimes your dentist will need to adjust the bone level to give additional height or size to the portion of a tooth that’s visible above your gum line. We do this so that your new restoration has an ample amount of tooth structure to securely hold it in place.

Generally speaking, your gums need about two millimeters of added tooth surface to ensure a durable bond, prevent gaps where debris can be trapped, and ward off potential dental problems in the future. Crown lengthening is a good option to help a tooth affected by deep decay to recreate the right amount of exposed tooth for a restoration to do its job effectively.