Surgical guides for esthetic crown lengthening procedures: Periodontal and prosthetic aspects.

BACKGROUND

In patients with gingival exposure on smiling due to altered passive eruption, esthetic crown lengthening is often indicated. Meticulous planning and surgical precision are key for successful outcomes. Surgical guides are helpful tools that are seldomly reported on in the literature related to esthetic crown lengthening procedures.

TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED: The authors searched the literature for articles that described the planning, tools, and execution related to esthetic crown lengthening procedures.

RESULTS

Several techniques have been reported to guide the esthetic crown lengthening procedure, ranging from direct bone level measurement to 3-dimensional printed surgical guides.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This review serves the clinician as an aid in the decision-making process for esthetic crown lengthening procedures and available surgical guide options, including computer-based guides.