If you have a damaged tooth, then your dentist will either want to extract the tooth or restore it. If restoration is an option, then your dentist may recommend that you have the tooth drilled down and covered with a crown. While crowning is a straightforward procedure, the state of the tooth itself impacts how well the treatment works. For example, your dentist may tell you that you need to have minor crown lengthening surgery on the gum above the tooth before they fit a crown.
What is crown lengthening and why do you need it before you can have a crown?
What Is Crown Lengthening?
Crown lengthening is a procedure that removes some gum, and sometimes bone, above a tooth. Dentists typically do this to reduce the level of the gum on a tooth so that more of the tooth is exposed. This usually involves cutting gum away under a local anaesthetic. The gum line is then contoured to suit your dentist's requirements. Sometimes, this is a cosmetic procedure. For example, if you have short teeth and your gums are really obvious, then lengthening gives you a more even smile.
Other times, gum lengthening is part of a different treatment like a crown. Here, the gum is contoured to increase the chances of the crown working on the tooth.
Why Do You Need Crown Lengthening?
While a crown replaces a problem tooth, it still needs part of the tooth to be intact. The crown is cemented on to a natural tooth. The tooth gives it basic support. This isn't always simple. For example, if you have a lot of decay on the tooth below your gum line, then the tooth won't be strong enough to hold the crown. Or, if you lost some of the tooth in the accident, then there may not be enough left in the open to hold the crown.
So, your dentist wants to lengthen the crown to expose some of the tooth that usually sits under your gum. Once this extra tooth is exposed, your dentist can use it as a base for the crown. This increases the chances that the crown will have enough stability to be an effective long-term solution.
Gum lengthening isn't anything to worry about. It may make your crown treatment take a little longer but should give you an effective end solution. If you have any questions about the procedure, talk to your dentist.
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