Biological width is misdiagnosed on a regular basis when all of the information available is not carefully evaluated. There is a great deal of confusion between biological width and clenching. Both have similar symptoms but the method of treating them is vastly different. Both are mechanically induced either by the clinician and or by the patient.
The biological width is defined as the epithelial attachment plus the connective tissue attachment above the alveolar bone. The tissue between the junctional epithelium and the crest of the alveolar bone is responsible for the lack of inflammation and bone resorption. Research shows if this tissue can maintain a thickness of one millimeter, the tooth and the tissues around it will remain healthy. When this millimeter of tissue is pinched by a crown placement, the tissue will respond by becoming inflamed.
Clenching can also cause the tissues to be pinched resulting in inflamed tissues. Some degree of clenching occurs in at least fifty percent of the population. This is the process of....