Crown Lengthening Surgery for Treating Asymmetric Gingiva: A Case Report

Background: The aesthetic appearance of gingiva is influenced by color, contour, interdental papilla and location of gingival margin. Crown lengthening is one of the surgical procedures performed to improve aesthetic problems. It can be performed by gingivectomy, with or without alveolar bone removal (osteotomy) to obtain a good crown and root ratios. Objective: To obtain better crown and root ratios, resulting in more aesthetic smile. Case Report: A 24-year-old woman presented with a complaint that the length of her anterior maxilla teeth was different. Extraoral examination showed a symmetric face with no abnormalities and the patient did not have a systemic disease. Intraoral examination showed that the gingival margins between teeth 11 and 21 was asymmetric, consistency of the gingiva was normal, there was no sign of inflammation and the pocket depth was 2–3 mm. The patient was given scaling in the first phase, and then the alignment of gingival margins of teeth 11–13 with teeth 21–23 was measured. Gingivectomy was performed on teeth 21–23 using scalpel no. 11, gingival contour was formed and the periodontal pack was applied. Results: The patient reported no complaints at the one-week follow-up and the gingival margin looked symmetrical one-month post-surgery. Conclusion: Crown-lengthening surgery with a gingivectomy procedure gives a good aesthetic result, in this case, characterized by a symmetrical gingival margin. Keywords: crown lengthening, gingivectomy, gingival aesthetics