Dental crowns for kids

Baby teeth are needed until the age of 10-12: they hold space for permanent teeth and help a child chew and pronounce sounds. If decay has destroyed a baby tooth so badly that a filling will not hold, the dentist suggests a crown. Dental crowns for kids cover the whole tooth, protect it from further damage and keep it until it falls out naturally. At UKRMED they are placed in the paediatric dentistry department.

Photo: Trikkelle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

When a baby tooth needs a crown

• decay has affected several surfaces of the tooth;
• the tooth is broken down after treatment of pulpitis (nerve inflammation);
• the enamel is naturally weak and crumbles;
• fillings in this tooth have fallen out several times;
• the child has a high risk of decay and a large tooth needs reliable protection.

In such cases a crown is often more reliable than a large filling: it does not chip at the edges and covers the whole tooth against new decay.

Stainless steel crowns for children

Stainless steel crowns for children are pre-formed crowns made in a factory. They are chosen by size and fitted in one visit without impressions or a laboratory. They are mostly placed on baby molars (large back teeth), where strength matters more than appearance. Research shows that on broken-down baby molars these crowns last longer than fillings and need re-treatment less often.

Zirconia crowns for kids

Zirconia crowns for kids are white and look like a natural tooth, so they are chosen for front teeth or when parents want the crown to be invisible. These white crowns for baby teeth are strong, smooth and well tolerated by the gums. A systematic review of crowns for primary teeth found that zirconia crowns have a high success rate and healthy gums around them.

How zirconia crowns are placed

1. Examination and X-ray. The dentist assesses the depth of decay and the root and takes an X-ray if needed.
2. Treatment. Decay is removed, and if the nerve is affected, the root canals of the baby tooth are treated.
3. Preparing the tooth. Zirconia does not stretch, so the tooth is shaped to fit a ready-made crown.
4. Choosing and fitting. The dentist selects a crown of the right size and cements it.

A steel crown is placed in a similar way, but less of the tooth is trimmed: the steel crown is slightly springy and grips the tooth tightly.

Helping your child

Placing a crown takes longer than a simple filling. For young or anxious children the clinic offers psycho-emotional adaptation: getting to know the room and the dentist without treatment. If a child is not ready for a long appointment, treatment can be done under sedation (the child sleeps under an anaesthetist's supervision), see dental treatment under sedation.

Caring for crowns

• brush your child's teeth twice a day, paying attention to the crown edge near the gum;
• limit sweet snacks and drinks between meals;
• do not let your child bite hard sweets or ice;
• come for check-ups every 3-6 months and have a professional cleaning: plaque at the crown edge is the main cause of gum inflammation.

The crown falls out together with the baby tooth when the permanent tooth comes through. Permanent teeth, if needed, receive other crowns.

Prices for children's crowns at UKRMED

Crowns for baby teeth cost from UAH 2,000 (steel) to UAH 3,500 (zirconia). Treatment of decay or root canals is charged separately.

Sources

1. Innes N. P., Evans D. J., Stirrups D. R. The Hall Technique; a randomized controlled clinical trial of a novel method of managing carious primary molars in general dental practice. BMC Oral Health, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6831-7-18
2. Alzanbaqi S. D., Alogaiel R. M., Alasmari M. A. et al. Zirconia crowns for primary teeth: a systematic review and meta-analyses. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052838