Dental Crowns in Saginaw, TX

Common Reasons for Crowns

Deep cavities

If your child has a very deep cavity in their tooth, a filling may not be appropriate. Large fillings tend to be unstable and may wear out quickly. Crowns offer superior protection, and will help keep the tooth healthy and prevent further decay.

Oral injuries

If your child breaks or chips a tooth, a dental crown is usually the best way to repair their tooth and restore their smile. Depending on the extent of the damage, endodontic treatment like a pulpotomy (baby root canal) may also be needed to restore the inside of the tooth.

Infected tooth

Tooth infections can happen due to oral injuries or deep cavities that reach the inside (pulp) of the tooth. A treatment like a pulpotomy will be necessary to remove the infection. After the infection has been treated, Dr. Elias or Dr. Christina will “cap” and cover the tooth with a dental crown. This protects the tooth from further damage.

Why Use Crowns On Baby Teeth?

Crowns are necessary to protect a damaged or weakened tooth from further breakage and to prevent the need for an extraction. Baby teeth have thinner enamel compared to adult teeth so they are more prone to cavities.

When your child has a large cavity, this means they may be missing a lot of natural tooth structure and a crown can help to provide more strength and durability when the tooth is used for chewing.

Not only are baby teeth important for maintaining your child’s tooth alignment and smile, but also for tooth functionality. Your child needs their baby teeth to chew, speak, and feel confident in their smile.

Crowns help us preserve your child’s natural teeth, whether they’ve been damaged, decayed, or broken in half. Your child’s baby teeth also maintain space in the mouth for the permanent tooth to erupt when it’s time.

Can the Tooth Be Pulled?

Some parents may wonder why it’s necessary to protect a baby tooth from extraction when baby teeth will naturally fall out anyway. Even though your child’s baby teeth will naturally fall out, it’s important to prevent premature tooth loss.

Your child’s baby teeth are important in maintaining their tooth alignment and holding space in the mouth for the permanent tooth. Some teeth aren’t supposed to fall out until your child is about 12 years old.

If this tooth is lost years earlier, this will come with consequences, including shifting teeth that can cause orthodontic problems and block the space where your permanent tooth needs to erupt.

When the surrounding teeth start to lean into this space, it can result in impaction of the permanent tooth because there’s no space for it to come through or it will erupt at an improper angle. Then, your child may require orthodontic treatment.

Sometimes teeth do need to be pulled because they cannot be salvaged with restorative treatment. However, we will need to place a space maintainer to hold the space open where that tooth used to be to prevent complications with the eruption of the permanent tooth. That being said, we never recommend extracting a tooth unless it is necessary.

How Do I Take Care of a Crown After It’s Placed On My Child?

To take care of your child’s pediatric crown, you should help them practice good oral hygiene, prevent wear and tear, and limit their exposure to stains. Even though your child’s tooth is covered by a crown, this doesn’t prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Make sure your child is brushing twice a day with an age-appropriate amount of fluoride toothpaste and a soft bristle toothbrush. They should brush for at least 2 minutes and floss once a day. Make sure they attend dental cleanings every 6 months to remove plaque and tartar buildup and to check on the condition of their crowns.

Crowns can become damaged if they encounter a lot of wear and tear. If your child grinds their teeth, they should wear a mouthguard to bed. Otherwise, they can break their crown in their sleep. Make sure they aren’t using their teeth as tools to open packages or to chew on anything that isn’t food, such as their fingernails.

Advise them not to chew on excessively hard and sticky foods like caramel, seeds, and candy. Try to reduce their consumption of staining foods and drinks like soda, juice, berries, and dark-colored sauces. If your child needs a pediatric crown, contact us at Saginaw Kids Dentistry to schedule a consultation with Dr. Elias or Dr. Christina.