Functional crown lengthening is an important part of an integrated effort to optimize your health, appearance, comfort and function. It is a surgical procedure that contours the gum tissue and often the underlying bone of a tooth. It provides necessary space between the supporting bone and crown, which prevents the new crown from damaging bone and gum tissue.
Functional crown lengthening is performed to improve the teeth that may appears short which is caused by too much gum tissues that has covered some of the portion of the crown. The dental procedure exposes some part of the gum area to achieve an acceptable height of the crown.
Like any other dental procedure, local anesthetics are always injected in the affected area to make the area of the gum numb and ready for the procedure. The duration of the dental procedure of crown lengthening may vary depending on the number of the teeth that are affected. This procedure may also involve having stitches to the affected gum tissues. Most of the stitches can dissolve on their own but some stitches may be removed after one week after the dental procedure.
After the crown lengthening, mild discomfort may be experience due to inflammation, which causes pain. Slight bleeding may be experienced until the next day after the surgery. Rinsing the mouth should be avoided for it may interfere with the blood clotting and healing. To minimize the swelling of the treated area, immediate application of ice is advised. Prescription medicine should always be taken in after meals to avoid the feel of nausea.
The tissues may take a minimum of 6 weeks to completely heal. It is always advised that during the recovery period, good oral hygiene should always be practiced to prevent infections. Stressful activities should also be avoided for it may hinder blood clotting thus will make the recovery period be prolonged.
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