What is crown lengthening?
Crown lengthening is a gum procedure that removes some gum and usually a little bone so more of a tooth sits above the gum line. It lets a crown or filling sit on sound tooth when a break or decay reaches below the gum, or shows more tooth in a gummy smile. At Creative Arts in Dubai the cause is assessed first, because gum contouring alone or another option is sometimes enough.
Who treats you here Dr. Duaa Ameen General Dentist · Dr. Taban Ameen Dentist · Dr. Firas Osman Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon & Implantologist
Every dentist’s licence can be checked on the DHA Sheryan medical directory.
Why would a tooth need crown lengthening before a crown?
A crown needs something to hold on to. Ideally there is a collar of sound tooth all the way round above the gum, so the crown can wrap around it and its edge can be sealed and kept clean. When a tooth breaks off at or below the gum, or decay runs under the gum line, that collar is missing. A crown placed there would either sit on decay or have its edge buried deep under the gum.
The gum attaches to the tooth in a narrow band just above the bone, a few millimetres deep, which dentists call the biologic width (or supracrestal tissue attachment). If a filling or crown edge pushes into that zone, the body treats it as an irritant: the gum stays red and bleeds, can recede, and bone can be lost around the tooth. Crown lengthening moves the gum and bone level down a little so that there is room for both a healthy attachment and enough sound tooth for the restoration. The American Academy of Periodontology describes it as adjusting the gum and bone level to expose more of the tooth so it can be restored.
This is one of the steps sometimes needed when a root-canal tooth breaks or when a crown needs a post and core build-up first.
Crown lengthening for a gummy smile: does it make teeth look longer?
Yes, that is the aim in cosmetic cases. Some people have teeth of normal length that are partly covered by gum, so they look short and square and the smile shows a lot of gum. In some of these smiles the gum simply did not move back fully as the teeth erupted; in others the bone also sits close to the edge of the enamel. The American Academy of Periodontology notes that in a gummy smile the teeth may actually be the proper length but covered with too much gum tissue.
Where only the gum is in excess and the bone is at a normal distance, removing gum alone, known as gingivectomy or gum contouring, can reveal more tooth. Where the bone is too close, gum removed without adjusting the bone tends to grow back, and crown lengthening with bone reshaping is what gives a stable result. Our guide to the causes of a gummy smile explains why some gummy smiles have nothing to do with gum excess at all, for example a short or very active upper lip.
Crown lengthening vs gum contouring and other options
What each approach changes, and when it is usually considered. The choice depends on where the bone sits, how much root there is and whether the goal is a restoration or appearance.
| Option | What it changes | When it is considered | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gum contouring (gingivectomy) | Gum only, often with a laser | Excess gum over teeth with bone at a normal level | Gum can regrow if the bone is too close |
| Surgical crown lengthening | Gum and a small amount of bone | Break or decay below the gum; gummy smile with bone close to the enamel | Longer healing; teeth look longer; possible gaps near the gum |
| Orthodontic extrusion | The tooth is pulled up out of the bone with a brace | A front tooth broken below the gum where the gum line must match its neighbours | Takes weeks to months before the crown |
| Extraction and replacement | The tooth is removed; an implant or bridge follows | Too little root left, or a crack running down the root | Losing the natural tooth |
A general comparison. The right option is chosen after measuring the gums and taking X-rays, and sometimes a 3D scan.
What does crown lengthening involve, step by step?
A typical sequence for a single tooth before a crown. Cosmetic cases involving several front teeth are planned in more detail, often with a mock-up of the new gum line.
Assessment
Gum measurements, X-rays and sometimes a 3D scan show where the bone is and how much root there is. The final crown is planned at this stage, not after.
First visitTemporary restoration
The broken tooth is usually built up or covered with a temporary so it can be used and kept clean while healing.
Before surgeryThe procedure
Under local anaesthetic the gum is gently lifted, a small amount of bone is reshaped where needed, and the gum is stitched at its new level.
About an hour per area, variesEarly healing
Soreness and mild swelling for a few days; stitches are removed or dissolve, usually within one to two weeks.
First 1–2 weeksGum settling
The gum line keeps shrinking and maturing for weeks. A front tooth is usually given longer before the final crown so the gum line is stable.
Several weeks to a few monthsFinal crown
The tooth is prepared and scanned, and the crown is made by the dental lab and fitted.
After healing
Crown lengthening recovery: what is normal?
Most people describe the first two or three days as sore rather than painful, managed with over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the pack or by your pharmacist. Common, expected effects include:
- Mild swelling and tenderness of the gum for a few days.
- Slight oozing on the first day; a damp gauze pressed on the area usually stops it.
- Sensitivity to cold on the newly exposed part of the tooth or root, which often eases over weeks.
- Teeth looking longer, and small dark spaces appearing between them near the gum.
Usual advice includes soft food chewed on the other side for the first days, no smoking, gentle cleaning of the area as instructed and not pulling the lip to look at the stitches. Call the clinic, open daily 10:00 to 20:00, for bleeding that does not stop with pressure, pain that worsens after the third day, or swelling that increases. Swelling spreading to the eye or neck, fever, or difficulty swallowing or breathing needs a hospital emergency department. The day-by-day pattern after gum-only procedures is covered in our gum contouring recovery guide.
Crown lengthening has downsides worth knowing first
Because bone is removed, the tooth ends up with less root in the bone relative to the crown, and neighbouring teeth may need small adjustments too. On back teeth, removing bone can expose the area where roots divide, which is hard to keep clean. Sometimes extracting the tooth and replacing it is the more predictable choice, and a good assessment says so.
How long after crown lengthening can the crown be fitted?
The gum keeps changing shape for weeks after surgery. Fitting the final crown too early risks its edge ending up exposed or, if the gum rebounds, buried under it. For back teeth, where the gum line is not visible when you smile, the final crown is often made after several weeks of healing. For front teeth, where a mismatched gum line would show, dentists usually wait longer, commonly a few months, and use a well-made temporary crown in the meantime. Your dentist will set the timing from how the gum looks at review rather than from the calendar alone.
For more on what happens when the final crown is made and fitted, see our dental crowns page. Crowns at Creative Arts are made by Creative Art Dental Lab in the same building.
Broken tooth below the gum, or teeth that look short? At Creative Arts in Dubai the gums and bone are measured first, so you know whether gum contouring, crown lengthening or another option fits, with the plan in writing.
Gum treatmentIs crown lengthening done at Creative Arts in Dubai?
Gum treatment and laser gum contouring are provided at Creative Arts, with Dr. Duaa Ameen and Dr. Taban Ameen assessing gum health and gum shape, and Dr. Firas Osman, our Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon & Implantologist, available for surgical opinions. Whether surgical crown lengthening is suitable for your tooth or smile, and whether it is done here or by referral, is decided at an assessment with gum measurements and X-rays. If gum contouring alone is enough, or if the tooth would be better replaced, you will be told that instead.
If the gum seems to be growing over your teeth rather than simply covering them, our page on gums growing over teeth explains the causes, which range from plaque and braces to medicines. For what drives the cost of gum reshaping, see gummy smile treatment cost.