Faciolingual width before and after tooth restoration: A comparative study

lh e anatomic crown of a tooth contains facial and lingual convexities that play important roles for protecting the supporting tissues. The contours contribute to the health of the gingivae.‘, 2 The convexities are the “heights of contour”3 and are usually located in the apical third of the anatomic crown on the facial surfaces and slightly more coronally on the lingual surfaces. Perel”, j and Yuodelis et a1.6 claimed that undercontoured restorations resulted in healthier periodontal tissues than overcontoured crowns. Koivuman and Wennstrom7 reported that overcontoured crowns (i.e., greater than normal convexity) resulted in exaggerated inflammatory responses when placed subgingivally. Weisgold*. ’ noted different types of gingival reactions to supragingival and subgingival differences in contour. It is important to determine the effect of the buccal and lingual contours of restorations in regard to function and health of the periodontal tissues. The purpose of this study was (1) to assess the facial-lingual width of restored teeth and to compare this data with the same unrestored teeth and (2) to determine the amount of tooth structure reduction that would permit the original contours in the restorations.