Crown Lengthening vs. Gum Contouring: What’s the Difference? Understanding Two Periodontal Procedures That Can Reshape Your Gumline If your teeth appear too short, your gumline looks uneven, or your dentist has told you that more tooth structure needs to be exposed before placing a crown, you may hear the terms crown lengthening and gum contouring. Although both procedures involve reshaping the gumline, they are not necessarily the same treatment. Gum contouring is primarily used ...