Stainless Steel Crowns for Children

People may not think that baby teeth are that important because they eventually fall out, but this is not true. Baby teeth are essential for the eruption of the adult teeth and are crucial for helping children learn to speak and eat. It also ensures there is enough space for the adult teeth to come down. This is why stainless-steel crowns may be used as an option for decaying baby teeth. Many believe that children do not have baby teeth for long, but the first tooth will usually erupt around the age of 6 months and children won’t lose their molars until they are about 12 or 13. Therefore it is vital to keep them healthy so that the adult teeth come down correctly preventing orthodontic treatment in the future.

Baby teeth are different to adult teeth as their enamel is not as thick and the pulp of the tooth is larger and closer to the tooths surface. This means that decay can get through the enamel a lot quicker having an effect on the longevity of the tooth. This is why dentist will usually recommend repairing even the smallest cavity in a baby tooth. If a baby tooth is extensively decayed the chances of repair are much slimmer in a baby tooth. This is why a stainless-steel crown may be suggested to ensure the longevity of the tooth. The dentist will remove any decay and then fit a prefabricated stainless-steel crown onto the tooth. There are many advantages to stainless steel crowns including:

Durable but inexpensive
Full coverage protection for the tooth
Very little sensitivity
Less likely to need retreatment
More successful than metal fillings in children under four years old
Good choice for children who need general anaesthesia
Often used as an attachment for a space maintainer

When to use a stainless steel crown for a child?

They are often used in primary teeth that have extensive decay over multiple surfaces, and on teeth that are broken or have a significant defect either from birth or due to disease.

How does a stainless steel tooth crown work?

The stainless steel crown functions like the natural crown of the tooth, allowing children to eat and speak comfortably and helping their bite to develop properly. The crown will stay in place until the baby tooth falls out.

What are the different types of stainless steel crowns?

There are, currently, three types of stainless crowns that are available to the practitioner and these are: Crowns with straight sides with margins that follow the gingival contours of the tooth. The gingival margins can be trimmed where necessary but also need contouring and crimping to ensure gingival adaptation to the prepared tooth.