Crown Lengthening
Teaneck, NJ & Roselle, NJ
 If you need a crown placed on a tooth that doesn’t have enough structure above the gumline, or you want to correct a smile where the gums show too much when you smile, crown lengthening at RJ Dental in Teaneck and Roselle, NJ addresses both situations through one procedure. Crown lengthening reshapes the gum and the underlying bone to expose more natural tooth, either to make restorative work possible or to balance how much tooth shows when you smile.
The procedure has two distinct applications. Functional crown lengthening exposes more tooth structure when a tooth is broken, decayed, or worn below the gum, so a crown or filling has something to anchor to. Aesthetic crown lengthening (sometimes called a gum lift) reshapes the gum line for cosmetic balance, typically for patients with what’s called a gummy smile. Both versions involve recontouring the soft tissue and the underlying bone, which is what distinguishes crown lengthening from a simpler gum trim.
Our periodontal care services include crown lengthening alongside other gum-level treatments. The decision between functional and aesthetic crown lengthening, or whether you need crown lengthening at all instead of a less involved gum-only procedure, depends on the case. We use cone beam CT imaging to evaluate the bone level around the affected teeth before recommending a path.
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What Is Crown Lengthening?
 Crown lengthening is a periodontal procedure that exposes more of the natural tooth by reshaping the gum tissue and the underlying alveolar bone around it. We perform the procedure under local anesthesia and use a soft tissue laser for the gum work alongside specialized instruments for the bone recontouring. Soft tissue healing takes a few weeks, and full bone healing is complete within two to three months. After that, any planned restoration can move forward.
What separates crown lengthening from a gum-only procedure is the bone component. Trimming gum tissue alone may temporarily expose more tooth, but if the bone underneath isn’t reshaped, the gum will tend to grow back to its original position over time. Crown lengthening adjusts both the soft tissue and the bone, which gives a stable, lasting result.
Functional Crown Lengthening
We perform functional crown lengthening when a tooth doesn’t have enough structure above the gumline to support a crown, filling, or other restoration. Common scenarios include teeth broken below the gumline, decay extending under the gum, severely worn teeth where the existing height isn’t enough to anchor a crown, or teeth where a previous restoration has failed at the gum margin. By exposing more tooth structure, the procedure makes it possible to place a dental crown or other restoration that would otherwise not be feasible.
Aesthetic Crown Lengthening
Aesthetic crown lengthening corrects the appearance of a gummy smile, where too much gum tissue shows when you smile and the teeth look short or square. The procedure reshapes the gum line and the underlying bone to expose more of each tooth, creating a more proportionate smile. Aesthetic crown lengthening is often part of a broader smile makeover when veneers or other cosmetic restorations come into the plan, so we design the gum line and the new restoration heights together.
Crown Lengthening vs. Gum Contouring
The simplest way to draw the line: gum contouring works on the gum tissue only; crown lengthening adjusts both the gum and the bone. Soft-tissue gum contouring is appropriate when the gum line is uneven but the underlying bone position is fine, which is typical for mild aesthetic refinements. Crown lengthening is the right procedure when the bone position is too high relative to where the gum line should sit, when the case is functional rather than purely cosmetic, or when long-term tissue stability matters because a restoration will sit at the new gum margin. Your case dictates which procedure is right; the cone beam scan we take during evaluation gives the answer.
Your Crown Lengthening Doctors in Teaneck and Roselle
Crown lengthening at RJ Dental is led by Dr. Shahin Ghobadi, our oral surgeon, and Dr. Jeannine Stephenson-Buffong, our laser-certified dentist. The procedure spans both their areas of focus, and we coordinate the two components during a single appointment.
Dr. Ghobadi handles the surgical and bone recontouring component. He completed his postgraduate Oral Surgery residency at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and is an active member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, with full background on his bio.
Dr. Stephenson-Buffong is laser certified and handles the soft tissue laser portion of the procedure. Our broader laser dentistry treatments include several other applications across the practice. More on her bio.
The Crown Lengthening Procedure, Step by Step
The procedure typically takes 30 to 90 minutes depending on how many teeth are involved. Single-tooth functional cases run shorter; multi-tooth aesthetic cases involving the front of the mouth take longer.
Diagnostic Workup
Your first appointment isn’t the surgery; it’s a diagnostic visit where we take a cone beam CT scan and a clinical exam to evaluate the bone level around the affected teeth. The scan tells us how much bone needs to be recontoured to achieve the right exposure, whether the case can be done with the soft tissue laser alone or requires the surgical bone work as well, and what the predicted gum line position will be after healing. Without this imaging, recommending crown lengthening would be guesswork.
Anesthesia and Comfort Preparation
We perform crown lengthening under local anesthesia. We numb the area thoroughly before any work begins, and most patients describe the experience as comparable to a deep filling once the anesthetic takes effect. You stay awake and aware throughout, but the area is fully numb. If you’re anxious about the procedure, tell us during the consultation; we’ll factor that into how we pace the visit.
The Procedure
For functional cases, we make a small incision in the gum near the affected tooth and gently lift the tissue to expose the underlying bone. We then recontour the bone with surgical instruments to expose the additional tooth structure needed for the planned restoration. We use the soft tissue laser to refine the gum margin and seal small blood vessels, which reduces bleeding and post-procedure swelling. We close the area with sutures that typically come out about a week later.
For aesthetic cases, the steps are similar but the focus is on creating a balanced, symmetrical gum line across multiple front teeth at once. The cone beam scan gives us the bone-level reference points before we start, and the soft tissue laser shapes the new gum margin precisely.
Healing and Restoration Phase
Soft tissue healing is largely complete in two to three weeks. Sutures come out at the one-week mark. The bone underneath continues to remodel for two to three months, and we wait for that to complete before placing any final restoration on a functional case. Placing a dental crown at the new margin too early risks the gum line shifting later, which would leave the crown margin exposed. For aesthetic cases, the cosmetic result is visible by week three or four, with minor refinements possible if the gum line settles unevenly.
Benefits of Crown Lengthening
Crown lengthening solves problems that gum-only treatments and unmodified restorative work can’t.
You avoid extracting a tooth that could otherwise be saved. Many teeth that look unrestorable at first (broken below the gumline, decayed deep beneath the gum, or with a failing crown margin underwater) turn out to be salvageable once enough tooth structure is exposed. Crown lengthening at our practice combines the bone work with the soft tissue laser margin in a single visit, so the tooth gets one coordinated procedure rather than separate appointments to address the gum and the bone.
You get a predictable, lasting gum line. Trimming gum tissue without addressing the underlying bone tends to give a temporary result. Our procedure adjusts both layers in the same visit, drawing on the cone beam imaging from your diagnostic appointment to position the bone at the right level. The soft tissue then heals to the new bone position rather than rebounding upward over the following months.
Restorative work fits properly the first time. For functional cases, the new gum margin is positioned where your future crown or filling will land. Our team plans the restorative phase against the new margin from the start, rather than placing a restoration and hoping the gum behaves around it. That coordination is part of why we wait the full two to three months for bone healing before placing the final crown.
A gummy smile correction that doesn’t need redoing. Aesthetic crown lengthening using our soft tissue laser plus the bone recontouring tends to give a stable result for years. Trimming gum tissue alone, the simpler procedure that some practices substitute, is more likely to require touch-ups as the tissue settles. The two procedures look similar in the chair but produce very different results long term.
Why Choose Our Team for Crown Lengthening
 Crown lengthening sits at the boundary between periodontal surgery and cosmetic dentistry, which is why some general practices either don’t offer it or only offer the soft-tissue version. At RJ Dental, our oral surgeon handles the surgical bone component, and our laser-certified dentist performs the soft tissue laser component during the same appointment. The two-doctor coordination is what allows us to complete the procedure in one visit rather than refer out for the bone work.
We use cone beam CT imaging on every case before recommending a path. CBCT changes which procedure makes sense (soft-tissue contouring alone, full crown lengthening, or some combination), and we’d rather take the time to image before committing to any plan. The scan also tells us whether you need additional periodontal treatment first, which would change the sequence.
We coordinate the restorative phase from the start. If your case is functional, we plan the new gum line position against where your future crown or filling will sit, working from the same digital impressions we use across the rest of the practice. If your case is aesthetic and connected to a smile makeover, the gum-line work and the cosmetic restoration design happen as one project rather than two.
We tell patients honestly when crown lengthening isn’t the right call. Some cases need gum grafting instead, when the goal is covering exposed root rather than exposing more tooth, and some cases call for a simpler gum-only procedure. Our job is to walk through the options on your specific tooth or smile, not to push the procedure that happens to match the page you landed on.
Crown Lengthening Cost and Financing
Cost matters, and we want to be straightforward: crown lengthening pricing depends on whether the case is single-tooth or multi-tooth, whether it’s functional or aesthetic, and whether additional procedures (gum grafting, periodontal treatment) are needed alongside it. Multi-tooth aesthetic cases involving the front of the mouth cost more than a single-tooth functional case. We give you a personalized estimate at the consultation once we’ve reviewed the cone beam scan.
Insurance treats functional and aesthetic crown lengthening differently. Functional crown lengthening is usually covered at least partially by dental insurance because it’s necessary to support a restoration. Aesthetic crown lengthening done purely for cosmetic reasons (gummy smile correction) is generally not covered, since it’s elective. Coverage details and accepted plans are listed under insurance and financing options.
For the portion not covered by insurance, we offer flexible payment plans, and we work with CareCredit, Sunbit, and LendingPoint for longer-term financing. Cost shouldn’t be the reason a tooth gets pulled that could otherwise be restored.
Schedule Your Crown Lengthening Consultation
The first step is the diagnostic appointment with the cone beam scan. That’s what tells us whether crown lengthening is the right approach for your case, and which version (functional or aesthetic) fits. Call our Teaneck office at (551) 369-2001, our Roselle office at (908) 488-5005, or book through our Request an Appointment page. We’re at 865 Teaneck Rd in Teaneck, NJ 07666. Our Roselle office is at 121-125 Chestnut St, Suite 201 in Roselle, NJ 07203.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will crown lengthening hurt?
We perform crown lengthening under local anesthesia, so the area is fully numb during the procedure. Most patients describe the experience as comparable to a deep filling. Afterward, mild soreness, swelling, and tenderness for two to four days are typical, manageable with ice and over-the-counter ibuprofen. The soft tissue laser portion typically reduces post-procedure bleeding and swelling compared with scalpel-only approaches.
How long does recovery take after crown lengthening?
Most patients return to normal activities the next day. The first week is the most cautious; we recommend a softer diet, careful brushing around the surgical area, and skipping the gym for a few days if your case involved bone work. After the sutures come out at the one-week mark, daily life is largely back to normal even though the deeper bone remodeling continues for another two to three months. You don’t feel that bone healing once the soft tissue closes.
When can my crown be placed after functional crown lengthening?
For functional cases, we wait for full bone healing before placing the final crown. That’s typically two to three months from the procedure. Placing the crown earlier risks the gum line shifting as the bone settles, which can leave the crown margin exposed or out of position. A temporary restoration covers the prepared tooth during the healing period if needed. For multi-tooth restorative cases, we build the sequencing into your written treatment plan from the start.
How does crown lengthening differ from gum contouring?
Gum contouring is the simpler procedure: shorter recovery, lower cost, and shorter appointment time. The trade-off is durability. Gum-only procedures often give temporary improvement that fades over months because the bone underneath isn’t addressed. The cone beam scan during your evaluation tells us whether your case actually needs the bone work. If yes, crown lengthening is the call. If no, gum contouring is the right tool.
Will my smile look natural after aesthetic crown lengthening?
For most patients, yes, though the case planning is what determines that. We use the cone beam scan and clinical photographs to map out where the new gum line should sit before any work begins, factoring in your facial proportions and how much tooth typically shows when you smile. Patients who get unnatural results from crown lengthening usually got it without enough planning. The natural look comes from the diagnostic phase, not from the surgery itself.
Does insurance cover crown lengthening in Teaneck or Roselle?
The basic answer is yes for functional cases, no for purely cosmetic cases. The gray area between them is where most patient questions live. Cases that combine both (a tooth that needs functional crown lengthening AND an aesthetic component during the same procedure) sometimes have the functional portion covered while the aesthetic upgrade isn’t. Beyond classification, your specific plan’s provisions, deductibles, and annual maximums all factor in. Our team verifies your benefits before treatment and walks you through what’s covered and what your out-of-pocket portion looks like.
Is crown lengthening permanent?
The bone and gum changes are permanent in the sense that we don’t expect the gum line to return to its original position. The tooth structure exposed by the procedure stays exposed. That said, ongoing periodontal health affects the long-term result. Significant gum disease later in life can cause additional gum recession beyond the planned crown lengthening. Routine periodontal maintenance protects the result.
What if I’m told I’m not a candidate for crown lengthening?
That happens, and it’s actually a good outcome; knowing the procedure won’t work for your specific case lets you pursue a path that will. The most common reason a tooth isn’t a candidate is when the decay or fracture extends so far below the gum that exposing additional structure would compromise the tooth’s biological foundation, including the periodontal ligament that holds the tooth in the bone. In those cases, extraction followed by a dental implant is usually the better long-term option. Less commonly, severe periodontal disease or insufficient bone density rules out crown lengthening on otherwise viable teeth, and those cases need periodontal treatment first before crown lengthening becomes possible. |
