Do I need crown lengthening?

Columbus Crown lengthening can be the ideal remedy for a variety of problems people have with their gums and teeth. There are three common reasons that people seek out crown lengthening treatment: to repair the teeth, to improve the smile, and to place crowns on difficult-to-access teeth.

Sometimes, people’s teeth can sustain damage underneath their gumline. This may be because of gum disease, or due to trauma, like falling or suffering a blow to the face. When the teeth are damaged under the gums, it can be difficult to treat the damage; first, your dentist needs to access the damaged surface of the tooth. Often, the best way to access the tooth is with a crown lengthening procedure. By lifting away a portion of the gum tissue, the crown lengthening procedure exposes the damaged surface to allow your dental health professional to repair and restore it.

Other people seek out crown lengthening treatments because they have gummy smiles. If more than 3 millimeters of your gums are visible when you smile, you have what is known as a gummy smile. Having a gummy smile poses no health risks, but it may bother you or make you feel uncomfortable or insecure about smiling. This excessive amount of visible gum tissue can make the teeth look smaller; crown lengthening exposes more of the surface of the teeth, resulting in a brighter, bigger smile.

A third common reason some people undergo crown lengthening treatment is to facilitate the placement of crowns. In order to successfully and securely place a crown, the patient must have a sufficient amount of healthy tooth protruding from the gums to accommodate the crown. Without sufficient tooth surface, the crown can cause damage to the gum tissue, and it might lead to painful or uncomfortable chronic inflammation. A crown lengthening procedure before the placing of a crown exposes more tooth surface, allowing the crown to be placed securely and comfortably.

Although the reasons for undergoing crown lengthening treatment are different, the relatively routine procedure is similar regardless of its purpose. In all cases, crown lengthening involves removal of part of the gum to expose a greater amount of the tooth. The dentist or periodontist makes small cuts in the gum tissue that surrounds the teeth and lifts back or removes the gum tissue. Sometimes, the bone beneath the gum will need to be reshaped, for example to accommodate a crown or so that the gum can fit more comfortably over the teeth. The procedure can be done on one tooth or on multiple teeth and a local anesthetic is used to numb the site, rendering the procedure painless. Once the gums have been reshaped and the bone modified, if necessary, your dental health practitioner will stitch your gums back into place. Your dentist or periodontist will remove your stitches after about a week, and you can expect your gums to be fully healed in about three months, but you can resume normal activities shortly after the procedure. Your dental health professional will review your specific aftercare requirements with you to help you have a comfortable and safe healing process.

More on Crown Lengthening : What is Crown Lengthening?