Gum Recontouring and Crown Lengthening

With crown lengthening, our team carefully removes some of the gum tissue around your tooth or teeth. This will give us access to any decay that may need to be removed or treated, as well as clear the way for a dental crown as we expose more of the surface of your teeth to allow them to be restored on a healthy sound tooth structure. We can usually complete a crown lengthening treatment during just one appointment! It can be performed on a single tooth, many teeth, or on your entire gum line. Most crown lengthening procedures are very straightforward, leaving little or no post-operative discomfort. We remove your sutures and any dressing after about two weeks. Expect complete gum healing to take anywhere from 8-12 weeks.

Gum recontouring is a minimally invasive procedure that does not require major oral surgery. Dr. Richard Lam will first numb the area with a local anesthetic to ensure you remain comfortable. He then utilizes advanced laser technology to reshape the areas of excess gum tissue. This is accomplished by strategically removing and reshaping the tissue to create a more balanced appearance. The entire process usually takes no more than an hour and can be completed within one office visit. In some cases, patients may need a small amount of bone removed to achieve optimal results. These individuals are referred to another specialist to perform this part of their gum recontouring.