Why is Your Periodontist Suggesting Crown Lengthening?
Many people are not familiar with crown lengthening, but it is often an excellent solution for a number of common tooth and gum ailments. If your periodontist thinks that you might be a good candidate for crown lengthening, it’s important that you understand exactly what the procedure entails and why it’s being recommended to you. The following post covers the basics of what crown lengthening is as well as the reasons it’s performed.
What Exactly is Crown Lengthening?
While the crown is part of the tooth, a crown lengthening procedure really focuses on the gums. It involves removing a small amount of gum tissue from the mouth. Sometimes it’s also necessary to reshape the underlying bone in order to help the gum tissue stay in its new position. The main effect of this procedure is exposing more of the tooth below, hence the name; the crown doesn’t actually get longer, but it appears to because now more of the tooth is visible. Crown lengthening can be performed on a single tooth or multiple teeth, and it’s usually completed in as little as 60 to 90 minutes. The gums will be numbed before the treatment begins, so you will experience very little (if any) discomfort.
Why is Crown Lengthening Performed?
There are three major reasons why you might need crown lengthening:
1. A Gummy Smile: The term “gummy smile” describes a grin where there’s too much gum tissue covering the teeth, making them look smaller than they should. Removing the unneeded tissue to make the teeth look bigger can go a long way towards improving your appearance, giving you a smile that you can be much more confident in.
2. Crown Placement: In order to place a crown, there has to be enough tooth structure to support it. If too much of the tooth has been covered by the gums, or if the enamel has already become significantly damaged or decayed, it may be difficult to make a successful crown that fits comfortably. After crown lengthening, there will be more of the tooth to work with so that a quality restoration can be attached.
3. Tooth Repairs: Sometimes the teeth can become damaged below the gum line. This is often a result of gum disease or some form of trauma. Crown lengthening can be used to expose the damaged parts of the tooth so that the proper repairs can be made, which usually ends with a crown being placed.
Everyone deserves a healthy smile that they can be proud of, and crown lengthening help you reach this goal in a variety of ways. If you think that you might benefit from this procedure, get in touch with a periodontist near you today.