Are my crowns too short? (Photo)

Question

Do these look too short? I have my temp crowns in right now and tried my permanents on to see how they would look and took a few pics and pasted here. I'm 25 and these feel slightly small to me and I'd prefer them to be a little longer. My dentist said if we made them longer, it would negatively affect my bite and cause friction so I would want to go by his word. I am also aware of the crown lengthening of the gums but unsure if I should go that route. Anyway any feedback is appreciated, thanks!

David M. Schertzer, DDS · Answer

The incisal edges are in the correct location.  Your issue is that the gum tissue does not allow for the crown to look longer by going upward.  To correct this you would need either gum tissue reduction or possibly even crown lengthening to heighten the gum line and give you a longer tooth/crown.

Doug Jopling, DDS · Answer

You have a condition called delayed or altered passive eruption. This needs to be treated with a procedure called esthetic crown lengthening "complete gum lift". Your teeth look too short because there is bone and gum tissue covering part of the enamel that should not be covered. This can easily be done, but it needs to be recognized first. You have a gummy smile, and it will always look gummy and the teeth will look too short unless the bone and gum tissue are recontoured. This is referred to as a "complete gum lift" not a simple gingivectomy.  If you cement the crowns and later do the complete gum lift, the margins of your crowns will show. The aesthetic crown lengthening needs to be done first on all the teeth in your smile zone, then new Impressions can be taken after the teeth are reprepared 6 weeks later for your new crowns. If you do it in this way, your crown margins will be hidden at the gum line and the teeth will look their proper length. I always take many pre treatment photos and recommend people look at their gum line as well as their teeth and their lip line before doing anything in the aesthetic Zone. Addressing all of these factors before any work is done results in the best outcome in the shortest time with the least disappointment for everyone. At this point, in order to give you the smile you want, you will probably have to have the crowns redone after crown lengthening is performed.I hope this information is helpful to you. Douglas Jopling,  DDS Dallas, Texas area

Are my crowns too short? (Photo)

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Are my crowns too short? (Photo)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Dental Crown

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.