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When Is Crown Lengthening Necessary?

Crown lengthening is a procedure that is used to recontour the gums in cases to expose more of the tooth. This is a surgical procedure that is performed under local anesthesia. The underlying bone may also be reshaped to hold it in place.

Now that you know what crown lengthening is, you’re probably wondering why someone would need this procedure. Read on in this blog from SouthEnd Dentistry to find out the 3 most common problems that crown lengthening addresses.

Crown Lengthening Procedure

We will first administer local anesthesia to numb your mouth. Additional sedation is also available if you have dental anxiety. Then, we will perform oral surgery to recontour your gums to create a proportional smile or to reveal enough of the tooth to enable us to attach a dental crown.

This can be done with a laser or surgical tools like a scalpel. If you are receiving dental crowns in Charlotte, you will require 4 to 6 weeks of healing before returning for the restoration.

Fix Gummy Smiles

A fairly common cosmetic problem is having a “gummy smile” in which the exposure of your gums is out of proportion to your teeth. This is usually because a person has excess gum tissue that is covering a large portion of the surfaces of your teeth.

We can reduce the amount of gum tissue that is showing when you smile so your teeth don’t appear to be so short and out of proportion. This will improve the aesthetic of your smile and reduce oral health risks like gum disease.

Repair Tooth Decay

When tooth decay is too hard to reach because it is located beneath the gums, crown lengthening is used to access the decay to restore your oral health.

We will need to reshape your gums to reveal the tooth decay and your gums will be restored to their original position after the decay has been removed. We can also create more room for a tooth restoration such as a dental crown so it has a better chance of protecting the tooth long term.

Restore a Tooth That’s Broken At the Gum Line

Another instance where we’ll need to repair or cover your tooth with a restoration is in the instance that you’ve suffered from dental trauma or injury that has resulted in your tooth breaking off at the gum line.

Lengthening the crown enables us to access the tooth and hold the broken tooth together with a dental crown. Normally, the only other option would be to extract and replace the tooth.

Expert Crown Lengthening At SouthEnd Dentistry

Whether you have a gummy smile, tooth decay, or a broken tooth, crown lengthening can preserve the health of your tooth and improve your smile. Contact us at SouthEnd Dentistry today to schedule a consultation with us.

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