Metal dental crowns for children are special, pre-made stainless steel crowns that are fitted to the tooth and attached with biocompatible cement. They are produced for both milk and permanent teeth. Crowns restore the anatomical shape (pits, fissures) and function of the tooth. Their biggest advantage is that the tooth is completely covered on all sides, thus preventing new caries damage.
Although the restoration of deciduous teeth with metal crowns is common among paediatric dental professionals in the world, only a few dental clinics offer such crowns in Latvia.
Specialists of the dental clinic “Zobu feja” offer consultations and answer parents' most frequently asked questions about children's dental crowns.
When does a milk tooth need a crown?
- After nerve treatment
- If there is extensive caries damage
- If the caries in the tooth neck area is close to the gum (as the dryness required for the filling cannot be ensured), or under the gum
- If there are genetic defects in tooth development (molar incisor hypomineralisation)
- In patients at high risk of caries (many carious lesions and very frequent use of sugary products)
- If the tooth already has several fillings and new carious lesions
Although dental crowns for children are most often used for deciduous teeth, there are also situations when they are necessary for the restoration of permanent lateral teeth:
- Severe molar-incisor hypomineralisation (genetic dental developmental abnormality)
- If there is extensive carious damage and the tooth can no longer be restored with a filling, but the patient is too young for permanent prosthesis (under 18 years of age)
Why should a milk tooth be crowned? The tooth will fall out!
Yes, milk teeth fall out, but it doesn't happen as fast as it might seem. The first milk molars fall out at the age of 9 to 11 years old, but the second milk molars fall out at the age of 10 to 12 years old. If a child has a severely damaged tooth at the age of 3, then we must ensure that the tooth stays in the mouth until its natural time of falling out. Studies have shown that metal crowns are a better solution for this situation. Fillings can fall out, and new caries, inflammation of the nerve, fracture of tooth tissue and other complications can form around the filling.
It should not be forgotten that sometimes a permanent tooth does not form under the deciduous tooth, which means that the child will have to live into adulthood with this deciduous tooth.
Can this be helped without a crown?
There are situations when teeth can no longer be restored with fillings . This leaves crowns as the only option. Even after the treatment of the dental nerve, a metal crown is the first choice, because there is always a microscopic plug between the filling and the tooth, which allows microbes to enter the dental canals again.
When the permanent tooth erupts, should the crown be removed?
No! When it's time for the milk tooth to fall out, it will move with the crown.
Does the crowning process require a separate visit?
No! Dental treatment and crowning take place in one visit!
Are metal crowns the only ones available?
It is also possible to make ceramic crowns in our clinic. They are the colour of the tooth tissue, aesthetically pleasing, and individually made. However, it should be taken into account that the cost of ceramic crowns is approximately three times higher than for complete metal crowns, and putting them in will require two dental visits.
Is the crowning process painful?
No! A feeling of pressure is experienced during the crowning. Young children interpret any feeling of discomfort as pain. However, since the tooth is anesthetised, we guarantee that the process is not painful.
Recommendations for parents:
- Wait for about an hour after crowning before eating!
- The child has to get used to the crown — for some it takes a few hours, for others a day, but for others — several days. During this period of habituation, it is important to explain that the new sensations are absolutely normal.
- There may be discomfort and inflammation around the gums for a few days. However, the same process can occur after a normal filling.
- There are situations (anatomical shape of the tooth, little remaining tooth tissue, frequent eating of sticky jelly candies, etc.) when the crown may fall off. In this situation, save the crown and make an appointment with the dentist to cement the same crown back on!
Bērnu zobārstniecība, Photo by . MM Dental . from Pexels