If you are a parent who has heard the dreaded words, “your child has a cavity,” don’t be upset! You are not alone. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 60% of U.S. children will have a cavity by age 5.
Cavities can vary in size. Some are small and can be treated with a dental filling. Other cavities can be large and may require more extensive treatment to repair it. When a cavity has gotten too large, a filling may not be capable of restoring the tooth and instead, a crown may be recommended. Since yours child’s back teeth are used the most used for chewing, if the cavity is too big, it may require a sturdy restoration, such as a crown, that can hold under pressure.
There are two options at Shreveport Bossier Family Dental Care for Kids for restoring your child’s baby tooth with a crown: a stainless steel crown (SSC), which is silver or a zirconia crown, which is white. Below are benefits and disadvantages of both types of crowns.
Stainless Steel Crowns:
- Stainless steel crowns are the most commonly used crowns by dentists, as they are often covered by insurance and can fit to any tooth
- They have the best prognosis on retention and staying on a tooth.
- You don not have to remove as much tooth structure as a zirconia crown. SSCs are thinner and will preserve more natural tooth structure.
- The drawback of an SSC is that it is silver in color, which is due to it being composed of stainless steel and NOT mercury.
Zirconia crowns:
- These crowns are white, so offer a more esthetic result
- Zirconia crowns are metal free and are practically indestructible as they are even stronger and more durable than natural tooth enamel
- Zirconia crowns cannot bend or mold, so have poorer retention than SSCs
- Material cost for zirconia is higher, making the out-of-pocket cost for zirconia crowns more than SSCs.
- Because zirconia crowns are thicker, they require more tooth structure to be removed, which can lead to an additional pulpotomy procedure (or “baby root canal”) on your child’s tooth
We know it is a lot to consider! Hearing that your child needs a crown on a baby tooth can be a shock, but choosing what option is best for your child is the next step! If you would like more information, please feel free to contact our office!