According to a recent study published in BMC Oral Health, “Fractured teeth treated with modified crown lengthening surgery are anticipated to have a high clinical success rate.” However, attention to oral care and regular dental checkups are crucial to long-term success.
The dental crown is the most common restoration we use to restore a lengthened tooth.
Dental crowns in Flowery Branch, GA, have a variety of essential uses, including rebuilding teeth that are damaged or at risk. In addition, your dentist can provide crown (meaning tooth) lengthening surgery to help make you a candidate for this and other restorations.
What Is Crown Lengthening?
If you have a damaged tooth and your dentist wants to restore it, enough healthy tooth must remain to accept the restoration. Crown lengthening means exposing more of the healthy tooth by manipulating or adjusting the gum’s positioning around the tooth.
Crown lengthening can improve the success rate of your restored tooth and mean the difference between success and extraction.
Crown lengthening is about elongating your tooth—not to be confused with a dental crown, which is a tooth-covering restoration.
What Are Dental Restorations?
Dental restorations are a way to restore damaged, decayed, or broken teeth. Dental restorations also support at-risk teeth—for example, a tooth treated with root canal therapy may be weak and require crowning.
Examples of tooth restorations may include dental crowns—for restoration, repair, concealment, aesthetics, and support.
We can also restore aesthetics using cosmetic options like veneers or dental bonding for chips and other common flaws.
What Happens During Crown Lengthening?
Periodontists and dentists perform crown lengthening under general anesthesia, so you’ll not feel any pain. The team may also talk to you about sedation dentistry.
Crown lengthening typically involves minimal bone and soft tissue removal—or gum tissue manipulation—to expose more of the tooth above the gumline.
If you have crowns or other restorations, your dentist may remove them temporarily to perform the surgery.
Depending on your level of treatment, there may be sutures or dissolvable sutures. But the dental team provides aftercare instructions to ensure a fast recovery. In some cases, the dentist prescribes a special mouth rinse. You use it for a few days post-surgery.
Common Reasons for Crown Lengthening
The ability to restore a severely damaged tooth is not the only benefit of crown lengthening.
#1 Saving a Tooth
If a tooth has lost its crown but is still salvageable, it may be necessary to expose more tooth surface. This allows your dentist room to treat more of the tooth for re-crowning.
#2 Cosmetic Reasons
If you have a gumline that is not symmetrical, crown lengthening may be the solution. Through this technique, your dentist can create an even appearance to the gum tissue.
#3 Too Much Gum Tissue
Sometimes it is necessary to remove gum tissue when it is in the way of a planned restoration, like a dental crown.
#4 Tooth Decay Risks
High gum tissue can mean more cavities. When we expose more of the tooth and reduce the surrounding tissue, cleaning it close to the gumline is easier. In addition, your toothbrush can better navigate the tight space.
#5 Easier Tooth Extraction
Too much tissue around an extraction site can make tooth removal challenging. By reducing the gum tissue, your dentist can better reach the tooth for straightforward removal.
Taking Care of Restorations After Crown Lengthening
If you’ve had crown lengthening to enjoy more successful restorations, you want to make the most of your treatment.
First, you want to follow all aftercare instructions from your Flowery Branch, GA, dentist. Then, after healing, you want to take excellent care of your restorations.
For dental crowns, brush and floss them along with your natural teeth. Adopt a circular motion that includes the gums. In addition, we recommend a soft-bristled toothbrush. It’s also important to floss around your restored teeth just as you do those that have not been treated.
Regular dental care is also vital to your long-term restorative success. See the dentist every six months for checkups and teeth cleanings—this is recommended even if you don’t have restorations.
This schedule allows your dentist to discover emerging issues before they threaten your oral health and restorations. And your teeth cleaning lowers your risks for restoration failure through gum disease and oral infection.
Finally, never use your teeth—restored or otherwise—as tools to open bottles or for purposes other than chewing. And avoid chewing on ice or sticky taffy-like candies with your restored tooth.
If you notice a loosening restoration or other oral health change, it’s essential to contact our dental office to arrange a visit with the dentist.
Family Dentistry in Flowery Branch, GA
Royal Lakes Family & Cosmetic Dentistry team is always happy to welcome new and existing patients into our dental practice. If you have questions or want to arrange a visit with the dentist, call us today.