To improve appearance. Sometimes teeth require exposing more tooth material than is available below the gumline. In these situations, your Dr. May recommend a procedure called crown lengthening in which the surrounding tissue is altered to expose additional healthy tooth material. This procedure involves your doctor accessing the area below the gum line, and increasing the amount of tooth material exposed. Usually by modifying the surrounding bone and tissue effectively lengthening the tooth. Next, the area is sutured and allowed to heal. Your doctor will let you know when the area is fully recovered. Once completed, the area is now restored to optimal appearance.