Aesthetic crown lengthening in downtown LA
What aesthetic crown lengthening corrects
Aesthetic crown lengthening reshapes the gum line to lengthen the visible portion of teeth. The common indications are short or square-looking teeth, a gummy smile where the cause is gum-driven, asymmetry between neighboring gum lines, and pre-veneer planning where the proportions will not work with the gum line where it currently sits. Where the case calls for it, the bone underneath is also reshaped so the new position holds. The diagnosis is what determines whether the case is genuinely gum-driven, or driven by lip mobility or the underlying skeletal pattern and better served somewhere else. PIHP says so when aesthetic crown lengthening is not the right tool for the job.
your journey
The procedure step by step
Aesthetic consultation
Smile photographs are taken in repose and at full smile. Dr. Rodriguez listens to what the patient is actually trying to solve — a gummy smile, short-looking teeth, asymmetry between the gum lines, or a veneer case that needs the gum line moved before the veneers are made. The conversation is about the outcome the patient wants, not about defaulting straight to surgery.
Planning, mock-up, and occlusal check
Gum-line measurements are taken tooth by tooth, the bone underneath is reviewed on CT scan when the case calls for it, and lip mobility is assessed when a gummy smile is part of the picture. The new gum position is mocked up against the smile photographs so the proportions are agreed before any tissue is touched, and the bite is checked so the cosmetic result does not introduce a functional problem.
Surgery — gum contouring, sometimes minor bone reshaping
Performed under local anesthesia. The gum tissue is reshaped to expose the right amount of tooth, and where the case calls for it the underlying bone is reshaped a small amount to support the new gum line. That bony step is what separates a result that holds from a gum line that quietly creeps back. The site is sutured to hold the new contour while it heals.
Early recovery
The first week to ten days are about protecting the new gum line. Soft diet, careful home care around the surgical site, and a follow-up to confirm healing. Sutures come out at one to two weeks. Daily life is back to normal long before the deeper tissue remodeling has finished settling.
Final review and integration with restorative work
Aesthetic cases need longer than functional cases for the new gum line to settle into its final position — typically several weeks to a few months — before the result is locked in. Once the tissue is stable, the case is either signed off as the aesthetic outcome or handed to the restorative dentist for the veneers or other restorative work that was planned alongside.
why this practice
What aesthetic crown lengthening can correct
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Re-proportioning short or square-looking teeth
Teeth that read shorter than they should because the gum sits low across them. Reshaping the gum line gives the visible portion of each tooth its full natural length back, and the smile reads longer and more in proportion.
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Lengthening the smile overall
When the entire smile reads short or compact, raising the gum line across the upper teeth changes how much tooth is on display in repose and at full smile. The procedure is what cosmetic shortcuts cannot do, because the work is at the gum rather than on the enamel.
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Treating a gummy smile when the cause is gum-driven
Patients with concerns about a gummy smile — too much gum tissue showing when they smile fully — are well served by aesthetic crown lengthening when the cause is excess gum tissue rather than a hypermobile lip or the underlying skeletal pattern. The diagnostic step at the consultation is what separates the two.
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Correcting asymmetry between gum lines
When the left and right gum lines do not match across the front teeth and the eye reads it, contouring the gum tooth by tooth restores symmetry. Often the change is small in millimeters and large in how the smile reads.
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A foundation for veneer planning
Aesthetic crown lengthening is often the periodontal step that makes a veneer case work — the proportions of the planned veneers will not sit right with the gum line where it currently is, and moving the gum first is what lets the restorative dentist deliver the result the patient wants.
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A durable result with specialist case selection
When the right amount of tooth is exposed, the bone contour underneath is right, and the case is allowed the right healing time before any restorative work goes on top, the new gum line holds in its position long term. Specialist case selection is what separates a result that lasts from one that quietly walks back over the years.
How we care
Treating a gummy smile — when aesthetic crown lengthening is the answer, and when it is not
A gummy smile has more than one cause. The diagnostic step at the consultation is what tells us whether aesthetic crown lengthening is the right tool, or whether the patient is better served somewhere else.
When the cause is gum-driven
Excess gum tissue showing when the patient smiles fully, with the cause being how the gum sits across the teeth rather than how the lip moves above them. Aesthetic crown lengthening is the durable surgical option in this lane — the gum line is elevated and the underlying bone reshaped where needed so the new position holds long term.
When the cause is lip-driven
A hypermobile upper lip that rises higher than usual when the patient smiles, exposing more gum than the gum-line position alone would suggest. Lip repositioning is the procedure that fits this lane, performed by surgical colleagues PIHP works with. We refer when that is the right answer rather than recommending surgery on the gum that the case does not call for.
What we do not do — Botox refer-out
Some practices treat a gummy smile with Botox to soften the action of the muscles that lift the upper lip. PIHP does not perform Botox. When that is genuinely the right tool for a particular gummy smile, we refer to a colleague who does it well rather than offering it ourselves.
The diagnostic step that decides
Smile photographs in repose and at full smile, gum-line measurements tooth by tooth, lip mobility assessed at full smile, and a review of the underlying skeletal pattern are all part of the consultation. Whichever lane the case is in, the recommendation rests on a real diagnosis, not on a quick visual estimate of which procedure to sell.
What our patients say
- 5 out of 5 stars. “Speaking as a patient of Dr. Rodriguez for the past 18 months, I take the greatest pleasure in recommending the team at Perio Implant Professionals without reservation. I have received expert care and my oral health has never been better.” — Clive, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “My experiences with Perio Implants have always been exceptional. The entire staff is very professional, personable, polite and kind. Dr. Rodriguez is very skilled, knowledgeable, thorough and simply the best. I would definitely refer everyone to Perio Implant Health Professionals.” — Geri, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “I have been coming to PIHP for a few years now and from the first moment I called till this day, it is always a pleasurable, and professional experience. I have had deep cleaning as well as oral surgery performed here and everything is always well explained, in person as well as on paper. Great communication from the whole team. I ALMOST look forward to coming there.” — Michael, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “The entire team, with Dr. Rodriguez leading the way, has made my experience a very positive one. They are incredibly kind and caring when it comes to each individual patient, and they have been with me through quite some challenges.” — Rolando, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “They handle my regular care and oral surgery. Cannot imagine better care. Very professional, competent, always running on schedule, cheerful and friendly.” — Otto, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “I was skeptical before I got to the office, but from the moment I arrived all my questions were answered and explained very clearly. They told me all my options and made me feel at ease with the whole process.” — Hugo, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “Everyone in the office is super nice and friendly. They take really good care of their patients. Always on time with their appointments. Office is really neat and clean.” — Maria, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “Despite the reality that I never want to HAVE to see a periodontist, seeing these folx is the best it gets. Everyone is lovely, upfront, and comforting.” — Rebecca, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “Excellent and professional doctor and staff. You will be fortunate to have this doctor and staff take care of your dental needs. You will not be disappointed. Staff are very considerate and kind.” — Teresa, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “Great people abound in this office. Professional to the T, yet very personable and friendly. I actually enjoy going there because the customer interaction is so genuine.” — Tracy, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “Trustworthy, professional, yet very easy-going. Feel comfortable being treated by Dr. Rodriguez and by his staff.” — Yvonne, Los Angeles
- 5 out of 5 stars. “Gentle, totally state of the art procedures and technology. No more loathing and fear.” — Sharon, Los Angeles
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