When is a crown needed for baby teeth?

You’ve just been given the news that your child needs a stainless steel crown placed on a baby tooth. There are some reasons your team at We Make Kids Smile may have recommended a crown. For example, crowns are used for severe decay or when there’s been significant trauma to the tooth. Crowns are a great option for restoring your child’s baby tooth to functionality.

Why stainless steel?

At We Make Kids Smile, we use stainless steel crowns on baby teeth, especially the teeth that won’t be seen. Here are six reasons why this material is so trusty for your child’s dental crown.

1. Fast Placement Time

Placing a stainless steel crown is easy and simple. The crowns are prefabricated, which means the sizes are already set. All that is left for your dentist is to choose the correct size of crown and modify it where needed. The crown can then be placed and finished all in the same day.

2. Very Durable

Stainless steel is known for its durability. In fact, stainless steel is known for building bridges. Because of its durability, stainless steel crowns are a great choice for molars because they need to withstand significantly more chewing pressure than front teeth.

3. Lasts a Long Time

Stainless steel is resistant to corrosion, which helps it last a very long time. In fact, stainless steel crowns can last 10 to 15 years, so it will remain functional for as long as it’s needed. When it’s time for the crowned tooth to fall out, it will naturally come out on its own just like the other baby teeth.

4. Affordable

There are different materials baby tooth crowns can be made from. Out of all of them, the least expensive option is stainless steel. This makes it a reasonable choice for a tooth that’s going to fall out in a few years anyway.

5. Better for Saving Teeth Than Large Fillings

A study published by the Journal of the American Dental Association reported that stainless steel crowns were six percent more likely to last for three years than large fillings. Why is this? When a cavity gets too large, there’s a risk of the filling not taking and ultimately not holding. The more damaged the tooth is, the higher this risk is. Stainless steel crowns are an excellent option when it comes to repairing even badly damaged baby teeth.

6. A Good Choice for Molars

Stainless steel crowns aren’t used on front teeth for aesthetic reasons, but they are a great option for back molars. Stainless steel crowns have been used on kid’s teeth for 70 years, and they’re a tried and true method when it comes to restoring a baby tooth back to its functionality.

Why save a baby tooth at all?

Baby teeth are needed for a while.

You may think that baby teeth don’t matter because they’re going to fall out. However, most children get their first baby tooth around six months and lose their last baby molars at 12-13 years of age. That’s a long time these teeth need to be healthy and strong.

Teeth are also essential to a child’s development. Kids have baby teeth during some of their most crucial development years – when they’re learning to eat solid foods and speak.

Baby teeth are the foundation for permanent teeth.

Baby teeth essentially “pave the way” for your child’s permanent teeth. Kids who have fewer cavities in primary teeth will have fewer cavities in their permanent teeth.

Baby teeth act as space holders for permanent teeth, and when a primary tooth is lost too early, the other baby teeth shift. When the adult teeth start coming in, there won’t be enough room and they may come in crooked. These changes heighten the likelihood of your child developing more cavities and needing more orthodontic treatment in the future.

Baby teeth are different from permanent teeth.

The outer layer of enamel is thinner in baby teeth than it is in permanent teeth. This means that the pulp – the body of the tooth that contains the blood vessels and nerves – is closer to the surface. Thinner enamel also allows for decay to spread more quickly within the tooth and between teeth. A cavity is a serious thing in a baby tooth, and it needs to be treated.

Is your child complaining of a toothache? Are you looking for a family-friendly and comprehensive dental practice in Southern Maryland? Reach out to us for a consultation. We’re excited to meet you!