In cases where a child’s tooth is decayed or damaged, cracked or chipped, a dental crown may be recommended.
Pediatric Dental Crowns
Dr. Day believes in personalized care and choosing the best treatment for our little patients on a case-by-case basis. She will examine your child’s smile, then determine whether dental crowns are the best option to restore his or her teeth.
Dr. Day will always recommend a stainless steel crown for children, as these are seen as the treatment of choice.
What are dental crowns for kids?
In cases where a child’s tooth structure is compromised due to a failed filling, large cavities or multiple cavities, root canals, damaged teeth or weakened enamel, crowns may be placed on a tooth or teeth to restore them.
It’s important to preserve the primary (baby) tooth as long as possible for smile esthetics, but also to support proper development and function of the teeth and jaws.
What are the benefits of pediatric dental crowns?
Crowns can prevent the need for interceptive orthodontic treatment
Every tooth plays an important role in chewing and eating, speaking, breathing, and developing the facial structure. When some teeth are missing, other teeth tend to migrate toward the gap. If teeth drift, there will be no space for the permanent tooth to erupt and orthodontics will be necessary.
Crowns resemble natural teeth
A crown functions like a natural tooth, which means your child can eat, speak and smile as they normally would!
What can I expect with a crown for kids’ teeth?
To place a dental crown for your child, we will start by administering a local anesthetic to numb the area. We know that dental procedures can be stressful for little ones, so we offer sedation dentistry techniques.
Depending on your child’s level of anxiety and unique needs, we can provide nitrous oxide inhalation (laughing gas), conscious oral sedation, in-office IV sedation, outpatient general anesthesia (in a hospital setting).
During the procedure, Dr. Day will remove all decay from the tooth and shape the tooth to fit the crown. The process can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.
We will discuss post-procedural instructions with you to ensure that the crown is successful!
White crowns Vs. Stainless steel (silver) crowns
There are two main types of dental crowns for kids: white crowns and silver crowns. Overall, stainless steel (silver) crowns are the treatment of choice for full tooth coverage in pediatric dentistry. Here’s why:
Insurance coverage and cost
Porcelain/white crowns are considered cosmetic, and most insurance companies do not cover these.
Durability and longevity
White crowns are prefabricated in a lab and cannot be adjusted or tightened for a custom fit. This means that they can easily come unglued and may require multiple re-cementations over the lifetime of the tooth.
The tooth must be prepared more aggressively (more tooth structure is removed) with a porcelain/white crown versus a silver crown to establish a good fit. Because of this, the tooth may require a pulpotomy during treatment, which may not be covered by insurance.
Aggressive prep also increases the risk of failure/abscess/gingival recession/root resorption of the tooth in the future, may lead to early tooth loss.
Porcelain/ceramic crowns may crack, and grinding can possibly break the cement bond and/or wear away the porcelain over time.
Restrictions
With white crowns, your child must avoid sticky, chewy, and gummy candies, such as skittles, airheads, gummy bears, chewing gum, tootsie rolls, etc. It’s important that they do not bite directly into hard or sticky foods if these crowns are placed on the front teeth.
Oral habits like finger-sucking or pacifier use can increase the likelihood of the white crown loosening and falling off. If a crown comes unglued, there may be a recement fee.
If a white crown continuously comes uncemented, it is up to the discretion of the doctor to determine what is best for your child moving forward. A stainless steel crown may be the only option to save the tooth.
The bottom line
It’s important to us that we’re honest and transparent with you! We’re here to help you weigh your options and discuss the pros and cons of each treatment option.
We want to help you make the best decision for your child’s smile and for their future health.
Other Pediatric Dental Services
Schedule your appointment!
Dr. Day is your trusted pediatric dentist in Baton Rouge and Addis, LA! Starting with your little one’s very first tooth, our team is here to guide you through the smile milestones and provide expert dental care with a gentle and compassionate approach.
We want every visit to our office to feel like a Sunny Day! Contact us today to schedule your appointment.