It is no secret that dentists are committed to saving teeth. This is why we fill a cavity, instead of pulling the tooth.
Cavities can decay the tooth to the point where restoration is virtually impossible without a procedure called crown lengthening. Crown lengthening is a routine procedure, which remodels the contour of the supporting periodontal structures and the gum. The procedure does not actually lengthen the crown, but rather moves the gum line exposing the decayed or broken part of the tooth. When there is not enough tooth structure to affix a crown, this is the only option. Sometimes a tooth has been broken below the gum line. In this instance, crown lengthening is very successful in exposing more of the tooth, so that the dentist has something to work with.