Manejo quirúrgico periodontal de la erupción pasiva alterada: reporte de casos

When the soft tissue is positioned excessively on anatomical crowns of teeth, frequently seen in adults and resulting in short clinical crowns, a condition has been described in the literature by several authors as “altered passive eruption”. It is defined as a dentogingival relationship wherein the gingival margin is positioned coronally on the anatomic crown, and does not attach to the cement-enamel junction due to the disruption in the development and eruptive patterns of the dentogingival unit. This article describes how periodontal plastic surgery can remodel the attachment apparatus, re-establish the correct biological width, eliminate the excessive showing of gingiva, and expose the correct dimensions of teeth. In this report, 3 cases are presented of altered passive eruption, and includes the diagnosis, clinical staging and treatment through periodontal surgery to correct the structural and aesthetic appearance.