Crown lengthening revisited

Over the last 37 years, crown-lengthening procedures have been used predictably to restore teeth broken down from caries, trauma, and extensive wear. With crown lengthening, the dentogingival junction is "re-created" at a more apical level on the root to accommodate the junctional epithelium and the connective tissue attachment. Forced eruption can be used in addition, or as an alternative, to tooth lengthening. The authors discuss the indications for tooth lengthening, forced eruption, and orthodontic extrusion, as well as the treatment planning for these procedures.