Crown lengthening is a procedure which allows your restoring dentist to perform a better job in delivering your final crown(s) or other restorations. Teeth which need crowns or other restorations often are too short to hold the crown on, or have deep decay going below the gumline which cannot be reached. Oftentimes, when a tooth is prepared for a crown, excess gum or bone
causes the tooth in question to be very short in size. In such cases, the final crown may appear too small and often falls off because there is not enough tooth to hold the crown on!
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This patient’s gum tissue made their crown appear smaller and difficult to access.
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Crown lengthening removed tissue for easier treatment and improved aesthetics.
Additionally when a tooth has a cavity or crack going below the gumline, placing a filling or crown into such a deep area can damage the gums and create tender and inflamed gums. This promotes future bone loss and causes a form of gum disease known as periodontitis which can ultimately lead to tooth loss!
This can be a very frustrating situation for you and your dentist. No one likes going back to the dentist office every other month because their crown fell off, or losing a tooth because the work was not done right the first time. Fortunately, this situation can be corrected with a procedure known as crown lengthening.
With a crown lengthening procedure, the gums and bone around the teeth are reshaped to make the tooth longer in size hence the name crown lengthening. With a longer crown, your restoring dentist has more room to make the crown appear more natural and can gain access to deeply decayed areas below the gumline. Additionally, because there is more tooth for the crown to hang on to, the chances of the crown falling off are greatly diminished. All this results in a healthier, more natural, cosmetic result that will last a lifetime!
The procedure typically lasts an hour in most situations and has a quick recovery time. The procedure is accomplished with simple local anesthetic, just like when you get a filling on a tooth. For more information about crown lengthening procedures, please call our team at 970-207-4061 to schedule a consultation appointment, or ask your general dentist for a referral.
If you’ve ever had a dental crown placed, you know that it is a cap that is cemented over your natural tooth. However, do you know how much tooth is needed for a crown? Chances are, probably not. Don’t feel bad though, this is not common knowledge (unless you’re a dentist!). Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to know how much tooth is needed for a crown so you have a better idea of what your dentist is
working with.
For starters, your dentist may recommend a dental crown if you have a tooth that has a significant amount of damage or decay. In most cases, dental crowns are used to restore teeth that cannot be safely
restored with a dental filling alone. For example, cases where the decay or damage spans over ¾ of the tooth.
The good news is that crowns are highly versatile in terms of how much tooth is needed. While there needs to be enough underlying structure to hold the crown in place and provide internal support, this structure does not necessarily need to be made of the natural tooth. In fact, there are other ways that your dentist can make a crown work with very minimal remaining tooth
structure.
One way is to use composite resin to build up the tooth structure. Composite resin is a tooth-colored dental material that is applied in layers and then hardened in place. It is commonly used for dental fillings, as well as dental bonding. Although composite resin on its own may not be strong enough, it works well to build up a base for the dental crown.
Another way to place a crown
with minimal tooth structure is the post-and-core foundation. This method is used to repair significant damage or decay that has reached the dental pulp. Prior to placing the foundation, however, your dentist will perform a root canal to remove the infected or damaged tissue. This will leave the inside of your tooth hollow so an adequate foundation can be placed.
The post-and-core
foundation technique fills the pulp chamber with a rubberized material called gutta percha and places a small metal post inside the tooth. The gutta-percha provides internal stability to the remaining tooth structure and the post allows for the placement of a dental crown once the tooth has been sealed.
There is also a special type of dental crown that can be used to replace a missing tooth. This type of crown is known as an implant-supported crown. Like the name suggests, a
dental implant is placed to support the crown. A dental implant is an artificial tooth root implanted into the jawbone that has a metal abutment, or post, sticking out of the gums to place a dental crown.
Overall, dental crowns can generally be placed regardless of how much tooth structure is remaining. There may simply need to be some extra steps in the process to ensure there is an adequate base to support the crown. However, there are some exceptions, so you will need to speak
with your dentist to determine if any of these methods are right for you.
Dr. Sadatipossesses extensive experience in all aspects of advanced restorative dentistry, with an emphasis in cosmetic and implant dentistry. He has attained Accredited Fellow status in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), the most rigorous, demanding credentialing process in the world. He is the only AACD Accredited Fellow in South Florida.