Crown Lengthening in San Diego, CA
A broken tooth is painful and makes eating and drinking very difficult. Most of the time, the solution to a broken tooth is to place a crown over the top of the broken portion. However, there are times when the tooth breaks so that it is impossible to place a crown over it because not enough of the tooth is left exposed above the gum line. While you may think there’s nothing left to do but extract the tooth, you still have an option.
Crown lengthening is a procedure that can save a damaged tooth from extraction, no matter if it has broken down to the gum line. This is an excellent option when you don’t want to lose a tooth and are a suitable candidate for a dental crown.
How Does Crown Lengthening Work?
Crown lengthening is a specific procedure that is only used in certain cases. When a tooth is damaged to where there is very little of the tooth showing above the gum line, it is necessary to lengthen the crown to expose more of the tooth for a few reasons.
First, the tooth needs to be exposed to apply a crown. Second, for cleaning and sanitary purposes, Dr. Shervin must expose enough of the tooth so he can properly take care of it and check it for underlying damage. Sometimes debris, cavities, and other problems can begin below the gum line, particularly if a tooth is damaged, meaning Dr. Shervin needs to be able to access this portion of the tooth to correct the damage.
The way crown lengthening works is that a dentist uses either a dental tool or a laser to re-sculpt the gumline by removing excess tissue. Some patients have extra gum tissue, making this a necessary procedure even without a damaged tooth, but in most cases, it is done to repair a tooth that has been damaged. The laser re-sculpts the gumline while keeping a natural look so that teeth and gums appear in the proper size and shape.
