How to Prepare for Your Crown Lengthening Procedure

Crown lengthening is very common and allows the the for the removal of gum tissue, bone or both to expose more of a tooth. This surgical procedure is common but is important to allow the proper time for healing.

To prepare for the procedure, your records will be reviewed by Dr. Marq Sams at our Wichita Periodontics office, and a consultation will allow you the opportunity to ask questions and understand the process of the procedure.

Before the procedure, we recommend a professional tooth cleaning, then determining of the tooth needs a crown which will protect the tooth and make the surgery easier as the doctor can now see how much soft tissue may need to be removed. Once the surgery is completed, the affected area generally will require about 3 months to heal. After this, your doctor will prepare the tooth in order to make the final crown.

Crown lengthening is done using local anesthesia as Dr. Sams will make cuts that will pull the gums away from the teeth. This will expose the roots of the teeth and the surrounding bone. In some cases, simply removing a little gum tissue will expose enough tooth for Dr. Sams to place a crown or filling. However, in most cases, he will need to remove some bone from around the roots of the teeth. Once Dr. Sams has exposed enough tooth, the surgical area will be washed with sterile salt water and the gums will be stitched together. Some dentists put a bandage over the stitches.

If you have temporary crowns on any of the involved teeth, the crowns may be removed before the procedure begins. The periodontist will put them back afterward.

Dr. Sams will ask you to follow a somewhat soft diet. You can brush the teeth near the stitches, but avoid the gums. Remove food particles with a toothpick or a water irrigator.

For the first few hours, use ice on your face over the area of surgery. This will reduce swelling.

You will go back to Dr. Sams in 7 to 10 days to have the stitches taken out. You will go back again 4 to 6 weeks later for a follow-up visit.

Your gums should heal for about three months before the tooth is prepared for the final crown. Gums can shrink as they heal. If you don’t wait long enough, the edges of the crown could show. Your regular dentist will put in the crown or filling.