Slide crown lengthening procedure using wide surface incisions and cyanoacrylate

This article introduces the slide crown lengthening procedure (SCLP), which incorporates surgical design features to overcome present crown lengthening procedure (CLP) shortcomings. The result is a 75% decrease in required surgery on adjacent teeth and a corresponding 75% reduction in surgical time. Other advantages include a reduction in surgical morbidity, improvement in terminal esthetics, and fewer teeth subject to papillae removal and apically repositioned gingiva. The 20 to 30 degree incision forming the slide is the pivotal feature; it allows effortless flap positioning. This incision angle enables wide surface incisions to adhere flaps together by producing stronger fibrin clots, decreasing tissue retraction angles, and reforming disrupted fibrin clots as incision sides slide while maintaining contact. This enhanced fibrin clot eliminates the need for sutures. The slide produced by the 20 to 30 degree incision functions for crown lengthening on all sites (facial, lingual, or palatal). This versatile surgical design introduces a new healing dimension that adapts to and provides benefits for other dental surgeries, such as gingival grafts, endodontic surgery, implants, and extractions.