Will crown lengthening (removing/shaving down bone) weaken endodontically treated natural teeth?

Question

I recently had emax dental crowns placed in front. They look terribly bulky and one of my central teeth in front shows black around gum line. My dentist said the darl line was from endodontically treated tooth. He said he was unable yo place the thick emax further under gum. He is now suggesting I see a periodontist for crown lengthening. Is this necessary? Will I lose bone? Will he break my natural teeth trying to remove these adhesivesly bonded crowns?

Vicki Borowski, DDS · Answer

The normal reason for crown lengthening is to raise the  gum line up to create longer teeth. If the current level of the gum is even with the next tooth there is no reason to crown lengthen the root canaled tooth. Dark endodonticly treated teeth often show through thin gum tissue. There is really no easy way to mask this problem. You may be able to graft additional tissue over the root to block out the darkness, without a picture it is difficult to determine if this is an option for you. Removing the bonded crowns needs to be done carefully with lots of water. This will prevent overheating of the underlying tooth.

Will crown lengthening (removing/shaving down bone) weaken endodontically treated natural teeth?

Answers (1)