Article:

In medicine, and to a lesser extent in dentistry, evolving technologies have served to expand the indications for minimally invasive procedures. In dentistry, lasers, although currently less integral to advances in minimally invasive procedures, are nevertheless evolving as potentially effective adjunctive tools within the therapeutic arena. Common to all crown lengthening procedures is the need for meticulous attention to maintaining the anatomical requirements of the biologic width, which, if violated, can lead to chronic inflammation, attachment loss and recession. Accurate and careful osseous resection that allows space for each component of the biologic width, understood to be approximately 3 mm depending on the individual, is therefore an absolute prerequisite for stable, long-term outcomes following crown lengthening procedures.