Dental Crowns for Paediatric Patients

Specialist Kids Dentist provides dental caps on teeth to children who have damaged baby and adult teeth. Child crowns require different treatment compared to adult dental crowns for teeth. Paediatric crowns are often used on young patients who are in active occlusion. These patients require a crown that can adapt to an adjusting and growing mouth.

Tooth Coloured crowns or Stainless Steel Crowns?

Front Teeth:

White crowns that are used to strengthen decayed front teeth are commonly referred to as strip crowns. These types of crowns are made of a composite resin.

Back Teeth:

A dental crown is a restoration that covers or “caps” a tooth, restoring it to its normal size and shape. A crown also strengthens and protects the underlying tooth from further cracking or breakage.

The enamel of baby teeth is thinner than on adult teeth. This means cavities tend to spread more easily and usually affect a larger area of the tooth. Crowns are necessary when a tooth decays to the point that a filling is no longer a treatment option. Crowns may be the only way to protect the tooth from premature extraction.

Types of Dental Crowns:

At Specialist Kids Dentist, we offer many types of crowns. The types of crown available vary depending on the condition. The types of crowns include white or tooth-coloured paediatric crowns. They can also include silver tooth caps and stainless steel teeth caps.

Porcelain crowns are another option you have when you visit your dentist and dental restorations are required. This last variety helps your broken tooth look like a natural tooth following application.

For years, stainless steel crowns have been, and continue to be, the standard of care for badly decayed baby molar teeth. Stainless steel crowns are silver caps attached to molars. They cover the back teeth and preserve more of the tooth structure than other varieties of crowns. They withstand biting and chewing forces well and rarely chip or break.

How natural teeth look following application of a crown depends on the type of crown used and the filling material.

Fortunately, with recent advances in ceramics technology many children now have another option! We are pleased to be among one of the first dental practices in Australia to offer Sprig’s EZ Crowns. The number one choice in metal free aesthetic paediatric crowns world-wide, is now available to our paediatric patients.

EZ crowns are made of solid zirconia which is one of the strongest ceramics available. They have excellent strength and their shape and colour combine to give them superior aesthetics. Our paediatric dental experts at Specialist Kids Dentist have been specially trained to provide EZ all white ceramic crowns. We’ll restore your child’s smile back to its natural beauty in no time.

Please note that in certain clinical situations an all-ceramic EZ-Crowns may not be the best option for your child. Stainless Steel crowns will be the recommended treatment of choice in these cases.

How are baby crowns prepared?

Dental crowns for children are generally completed in one visit, and will usually last until they are replaced by adult teeth.

After the child is made completely numb using local anaesthesia, all of the affected tooth structure is removed. This is done to get rid of any decay present.

Following this, the tooth is prepared in a certain way so a premade crown can fit on top. A paediatric dentist will determine the size of the crown that is the best fit for the tooth. When the semi permanent crown is ready, it will be cemented in place.

Are there any precautions that must be taken after having a crown placed on a baby tooth?

Immediately after treatment, it is important that the child does not eat anything too hard or sticky. Chips and popcorn pieces can get stuck under the tooth shaped crown, making it uncomfortable. Sticky or hard candies can also displace the crown by accident if eaten. If a crown gets displaced, the child should be brought back to the dental office to have it re-cemented.

To prevent this from happening, however, parents should be careful as to what the child eats after treatment. Often we recommend softer foods. Also, sometimes the gums may become slightly irritated by the new crown. It is important to continue to brush around the gums of these teeth to prevent further irritation or infection.

Contact Specialist Kids Dentist

If you need more dental crown information, – today to speak with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable staff. You can also visit our offices in Liverpool or Summer Hill. We’ll happily book an appointment for you when you call. Ask us about our dental insurance cover when you call to book your appointment.

We’re open between 9:00am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday. Call us on 02 9600 6848 to schedule your child’s dental check-up today.