Pediatric Dental Crowns Specialist
in Sacramento, CA
Pediatric Dental Crowns at Bubbles Dental.
Depending on the size or position of the cavity, a crown might be necessary to repair the tooth. Children's dental crowns resemble natural teeth and are positioned over the affected tooth to restore its original shape and size. These crowns safeguard the entire baby tooth, typically until it naturally sheds. Ideally, after treating a baby tooth, our aim is for it to endure without requiring further intervention throughout the child's formative years.
Typical scenarios prompting your pediatric dentist to advise the placement of a dental crown on your child's tooth:
- The decay is extensive, risking the failure of a simple filling. Our aim is to reduce the likelihood of requiring retreatment on the same tooth for your child.
- Your child has multiple cavities, and safeguarding the entire tooth surface with a crown proves a superior long-term solution compared to a filling. While a filling merely addresses the affected area, a pediatric crown prevents recurrence of cavities on the same tooth. Children prone to cavities are at risk of needing retreatment if only a filling is applied.
- The tooth underwent a pulpotomy.
What color will my child's dental crown be?
Typical choices for pediatric dental crowns include stainless steel (silver caps), stainless steel with white facings for front teeth, and all-zirconia crowns. During your child's examination, the dentist will discuss the available options for their treatment.
Isn't it just a primary tooth that will naturally shed anyway?
Although your child will eventually lose all their primary teeth, the last ones typically persist until around ages 11 or 12. Maintaining excellent dental hygiene for your child is crucial as primary teeth significantly impact overall health. Healthy primary teeth facilitate proper eating and chewing, ensuring adequate nutrition. They also contribute to clear speech and pronunciation and aid in guiding the eruption of permanent teeth.
Although we aim to administer the most conservative treatment feasible, there are occasions when cavities on a child's tooth become too extensive for fillings to suffice. In such cases, full coverage crowns (caps) become the preferred option.
For front teeth, we have several choices for white crowns:
- Full coverage composite filling: This involves a shell of white filling material that surrounds the entire tooth.
- Zirconia crown: This is a non-metal white crown, akin to porcelain.
For the back molar regions, options include:
- Stainless Steel Crown: This is a full coverage surgical grade steel crown that encases the entire tooth, highly compatible with natural tooth structure and surrounding gum tissue. For pediatric teeth, these crowns offer the most effective long-term solution.
- Zirconia crown: Similar to a porcelain crown, this non-metal white crown doesn't require multiple appointments for fabrication and cementation; it's completed in a single visit.
If your child's pediatric dentist recommends crown therapy due to the extent of tooth decay, they will engage in a discussion with you regarding the various crown options available and determine the most suitable treatment tailored specifically to your child's needs.
