Cosmetic crown elongation or crown Elongation is done to improve a “gummy” smile or to recont our uneven gum margins. Sometimes teeth appear short when they are actually the proper size but are covered with excessive gum tissue. This can be corrected by gently reducing the excess tissue and bone to reshape the tissues and expose more of the tooth structure. The outcome is a striking to your smile.

The most commonly asked question about gum grafting is, “Will it hurt?” During this procedure, a thin piece of tissue will be taken from the palate or another donor area in the mouth and used to cover the exposed root. This tissue is removed in a gentle fashion and most patients find that Tylenol or Advil, taken as directed, is sufficient in alleviating any postoperative discomfort. In addition to local anesthesia, oral or IV sedation is available.

An alternative to using donor tissue from you mouth is to use AlloDerm. AlloDerm is a dermal matrix from a tissue bank that allows us to give you the tissue you need without the limitations of harvesting the tissue from the palate. Not everyone has enough tissue available or wants to have tissue taken from the mouth. Alloderm provides us with unlimited tissue so that we can graft any number of teeth in just one visit. The results using AlloDerm is equivalent to using the patient’s own tissue. Autologus Platelet Concentrate or Emdogain may be used during gum grafting to speed the healing, enhance the outcome and increase the comfort of the patient.