Crown lengthening and restorative treatment in mutilated molars

Crown lengthening has been advocated as a treatment modality to restore teeth with a clinical crown reduced subsequent to different kinds of trauma. Multirooted teeth, however, present certain anatomic features, such as the furcation area and corresponding interradicular bone, the retromolar area, and the external oblique ridge, that may limit the possibility for soft tissue and bone reduction and minimize the effectiveness of crown-lengthening procedures. This article describes surgical modifications to overcome the anatomic difficulties that multirooted teeth present when crown lengthening is required. Furthermore, root resection is discussed as an alternative to conventional surgery when the latter is not possible.