Crown Lengthening: Pain, Healing Time, and Risks Everything You Should Know

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What is a crown lengthening procedure?

Crowns are caps in the shape of teeth that are placed over a natural tooth to improve its appearance or strengthen it for functional reasons. When a tooth is cracked, damaged, or has an abnormal shape, a crown may be advised as a treatment option. Bridgework, root canal therapy, and dental implant placement are all examples of dental treatments that can be finished with the help of a crown. Crowns need to be able to securely attach to the tooth that they are covering.

Crown lengthening may be of assistance. Crown lengthening is performed by dental surgeons who recontour the gum tissue and, in certain cases, the bone around a tooth in order to expose more of the tooth’s surface for a crown. It is a routine process that often can be finished in significantly less than an hour.

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The purpose of a crown lengthening procedure

It’s possible that you’ll need to have your crown lengthened if there isn’t enough of the tooth left over to support the crown on its own. If a tooth is chipped or decayed in any way, it may be impossible to connect a crown to the tooth in a secure manner.

Crown lengthening is a procedure that involves removing gum tissue and, in some cases, shaving down bone in order to expose more of the tooth above the gum line. Better oral hygiene and comfort are both possible with a crown that is properly fitted.

When someone smiles, their gums could show before their teeth. This is known as a “gummy smile,” and it can be corrected by having the crowns of the teeth lengthened.

How to prepare for a crown lengthening

It’s possible that your dental surgeon will fit you with a temporary crown until you can get the operation done. In the meantime, your tooth will be protected by the temporary crown, and it will also make the process of fitting the permanent crown much simpler.

Before your procedure, you will have a consultation with the periodontist during which you will provide a history of your medical conditions and they will review your X-rays. During this session, you and your physician ought to have a discussion regarding any and all drugs that you now use. They will inform you if you need to stop taking any of them in order to proceed with the operation.

What happens during a crown lengthening procedure

During an outpatient operation, the periodontist will extend the crown of your tooth. This indicates that you are free to return home after the event. The amount of time required for the surgery varies according to the number of teeth that require the procedure as well as whether or not both soft tissue and bone need to be removed. If you have a temporary crown on any of your nearby teeth, your periodontist may remove it prior to the treatment and then put it back in place when it is finished.

The majority of patients are given a local anesthetic, and some may also be given a sedative. In order to peel the gums away from the teeth and expose the roots and bone, the periodontist makes cuts in the gums. In certain circumstances, the only tissue that needs to be removed is the gum tissue. After that, the area that was operated on is washed with salt water, and then the suturing can begin. They will then stitch the gums back together, and in certain cases, they will cover the region with a bandage for added protection.

After the effects of the local anesthetic wearing off, you may experience some discomfort; thus, your surgeon will provide you with pain medication and a particular mouth rinse to aid in the recovery of your gums.

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Possible risks

The risk of infection during a crown lengthening treatment is comparable to the risk of infection with other surgical procedures. It is imperative that you adhere to all of the postoperative care instructions in order to reduce the risk of infection. If you have any queries regarding your recovery, please do not hesitate to call the dentist’s office.

Following the treatment, you may have bleeding at the incision site, and you may also notice that your teeth are more sensitive to both hot and cold temperatures. Time will make the sensitivity less noticeable. Your tooth may appear to be longer than the teeth that surround it, and if any bone was removed during the procedure, the tooth may feel looser. Because of the crown lengthening, it may be more challenging for the oral surgeon to place a dental implant in the event that you lose one of your teeth in the future.

The recovery process

The duration of time needed for recuperation from this treatment is roughly three months. However, once your gums have healed, you will be able to return to your typical activities. You simply need to refrain from engaging in physically demanding activities for the first two or three days. Your ability to heal could be slowed down and you could experience more bleeding if you have physically demanding work, do the heavy lifting, or exert yourself heavily.

Have a conversation with your surgeon about the particulars of your healing process. In general, make sure you stick to the following guidelines:

• You will most likely be given aftercare instructions that instruct you to take ibuprofen or Tylenol at regular intervals, and these recommendations will be included in your aftercare instructions. Antibiotics and stronger painkillers, such as acetaminophen-hydrocodone (Vicodin), Tylenol with codeine #3, or acetaminophen-propoxyphene, may be recommended by the attending physician (Darvocet).
• Utilize an ice pack: Applying an ice pack to your face during the first few hours following the surgery in order to reduce swelling is a good idea. Utilize the ice pack in an alternating fashion, following a schedule of 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. After the first couple of days following the procedure, you may transition to using moist heat.
• Stay away from hot foods for the first twenty-four hours: Also, you shouldn’t gargle or rinse your mouth out. Both of these things can cause the bleeding to continue for a longer time. If the bleeding does not stop, apply mild pressure to the affected region with a gauze pad or tea bag that has been wet with water for twenty to thirty minutes.
• Keep the dressings in place for seven to fourteen days: During this time frame, the physician may decide to change the dressing once or twice.
• Be mindful when you brush: Only the surfaces of your biting teeth where the dressing has been applied should be gently brushed. Brushing and flossing should continue as normal in the other areas. Chew on the side of your mouth that is not close to where you have the dressing.
• If your instructions instruct you to wear a denture or a clear stent, do not remove any of them for the first twenty-four hours. Rinse your mouth with lukewarm salt water or chlorhexidine rinse if you notice blood pooling in your mouth. Do this even if you have a stent or denture in your mouth. After a period of 24 hours, you are free to wear it however you like.
• Eat a diet consisting of soft foods and avoid chewing in the surgery area while you are eating. In addition to this, you should avoid eating anything that is tough, brittle, acidic, hot, sticky, or heavily seasoned. Steer clear of nut and seed products. Be sure to take in lots of fluids.
• Alcohol should be avoided, and you should hold off on drinking until after your post-operative appointment.
• Do not smoke: Smoking should be avoided for at least the first seven to ten days, if not longer.
• Avoid poking the region, including playing with the surgical site with your tongue or finger, using straws, and other similar activities. When you want to check the site, avoid pulling down on your lip because the pressure could cause harm.

Conclusion

Oral surgery is steadily gaining a reputation for increases in both speed and accuracy. Crown lengthening is a popular dental procedure that can serve either dental or aesthetic objectives, depending on the patient’s preferences. You can anticipate that your surgery will go without a hitch when it is carried out by a skilled professional, and it will both improve the health of your teeth and extend their lifespan.