Three different surgical techniques of crown lengthening: A comparative study

INTRODUCTION: A short clinical crown may lead to poor retention form thereby leading to improper tooth preparation. Surgical crown lengthening procedure is done to increase the clinical crown length without violating the biologic width. Several techniques have been proposed for clinical crown lengthening which includes gingivectomy, apically displaced flap with or without resective osseous surgery, and surgical extrusion using periotome. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to compare clinically the three different surgical techniques of crown lengthening procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients who reported to the department of Periodontology, were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into three groups, which include patients who underwent gingivectomy (Group A), apically repositioned flap (Group B) and surgical extrusion using periotome (Group C). Clinical measurements such as clinical crown length, gingival zenith, interdental papilla height were taken at baseline and at 3(rd) month post-operatively. RESULTS: Clinical and radiographic evaluation at 3(rd) month suggest that surgical extrusion technique offers several advantages over the other conventional surgical techniques such as preservation of the interproximal papilla, gingival margin position and no marginal bone loss. CONCLUSIONS: This technique can be used to successfully treat a grossly damaged crown structure as a result of tooth fracture, dental caries and iatrogenic factors especially in the anterior region, where esthetics is of great concern.