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Dental Crowns On Baby Teeth: Required Fix Or Overkill?

by Hector Holland

When your young child develops cavities on his or her teeth, your dentist may recommend a crown rather than a filling. Crowns are more stable and can prevent further decay better than fillings can. Also, while crowns can require two or more visits to place on adult teeth, dentists can often put on a pediatric dental crown in a single visit.

However, crowns are more expensive than fillings, and some parents may question why they need to be put on teeth that are not permanent and will fall out in -- at most -- a few years. After all, if the teeth get too bad, can't they just be pulled?

Reasons to Save Primary Teeth

The biggest reason to have crowns put on your child's decayed baby or primary teeth is simply to prevent further decay and resulting pain.

And you don't want to pull teeth before they are ready to come out, because:

  • Spacing of permanent teeth may be altered.
  • Chewing may be more difficult for your child.
  • Speech may be impacted if some teeth are missing.

Some primary teeth, notably the back molars, stay in place until a child is 12 years old or sometimes even older. If a molar is pulled when a child is in elementary school, it will not be replaced for some time, which can lead to the issues above.

Types of Crowns

The most common types of crowns for primary teeth are steel. These look like metal and are best suited to back molars that won't show.

For front teeth, and for other cosmetic purposes, there are ceramic and porcelain options for crowns that can cover and match your child's other, natural teeth.

Risks of Dental Work

You may have concerns about your child's ability to handle the dental work required to repair teeth, remove cavities and install crowns. In order to perform this work, your dentist may recommend some form of sedation to make your child more comfortable. Options for sedation include:

  • Gas, like nitrous oxide.
  • Medication that is swallowed.
  • Injection.
  • Intravenous or IV transmission.

All of these options carry their own risks and challenges. Your dentist can evaluate your individual case and help you decide what the best method for managing your child might be.

In short, if your child has extensive tooth decay, it is not worth the risk to wait it out. Dental crowns can protect the teeth from painful damage and can keep the teeth in place as necessary until the permanent teeth are able to come in. It may be more expensive, but the outcomes are generally better over time.

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