Crown Lengthening

What is a functional crown lengthening? The anatomy of the tooth consists of two basic parts. The crown is the part of the tooth visible in our mouth. The root is in the bone and covered by gum tissue.  A crown lengthening procedure involves extending the length of the crown portion of the tooth.

Why is functional crown lengthening performed? There are several reasons why a crown lengthening procedure may be recommended by your General Dentist. The most common are to increase the dimensions of the crown of the tooth so that the new cap that will go on the tooth will be more retentive. A second reason is when a filling or cavity in the tooth extends under the existing gum. In that case the bone and gum line are rearranged to expose healthy tooth structure which was previously under the gum line. Your General Dentist would then fit the new cap on the exposed healthy tooth structure. This makes for a more biologically acceptable restoration.