Dental and periodontal dimensions stability after esthetic clinical crown lengthening surgery: a 12-month clinical study.

Objectives: To evaluate the stability of periodontal tissues 3 (T), 6 (T), and 12 (T) months after esthetic crown lengthening (ACL) and the possible correlations between changes in those structures.

Materials And Methods: Twenty individuals were evaluated through clinical assessment, photography, and tomography. Measurements included gingival margin (GM), clinical crown length (CCL), interdental papilla height (PH) and width (PW), gingival thickness (GT), bone thickness (BT), probing depth (PD), distance between alveolar crest and GM, distance between alveolar crest and cementoenamel junction. Nonparametric and correlation statistics were performed (p < 0.05).

Results: CCL at T was 7.42 ± 0.70 mm and increased to 9.48 ± 0.49 mm immediately after ACL, but it decreased to 8.93 ± 0.65 mm at T. PD decreased 0.60 mm from T to T, and it increased 0.39 mm from T to T. BT decreased 0.20 mm, while GT increased 0.29 mm from T to T. Both PW and PH showed enlargement in T. A positive moderate correlation was found between CCL/T and CCL/T, GT/T and AC-GM/T, BT/T and GT/T. A few negative moderate correlations were PD/T and CCL/T, PD/T and PH/T, PD/T and BT/T.

Conclusions: ACL procedure was effective. Although some rebound occurred, that was not clinically important. PD tended to reestablish its original length, partially due to a migration of GM during the healing period. Besides, a thickening of supracrestal soft tissues was observed.

Clinical Relevance: The present study centers on the factors influencing the stability of periodontal tissues after esthetic crown lengthening, underscoring the procedure's influence on esthetics and biology and the need for careful treatment planning.