Maintaining healthy baby teeth until they fall out is a must because it helps with proper tooth growth and contributes to the overall oral health of an individual in the long run. Pediatric dentists, therefore, are emphasizing the importance of taking care of a child’s primary teeth.
This renewed focus has helped dental professionals develop restorative solutions like dental crowns for kids, which were previously thought of as treatments only needed by adults. In fact, at Walker Pediatric Dentistry, we provide dental crown surgery as part of our dental services for kids in Salt Lake City.
Dental crowns for kids work similarly to adult ones: a tooth-shaped cap is placed over the damaged tooth to recover appearance, shape, size, and strength. Dental crowns commonly come as either stainless steel or resin crowns.
Stainless Steel Crowns
This type is the most recommended type of dental crown because of its durability. Stainless steel crowns are usually applied on molars, which kids use for chewing food the most. At the same time, its placement on molars — generally hidden away from view — reduces the visibility of its distinctive steel appearance.
Resin Crowns
Where stainless steel crowns draw unwanted attention, resin-colored crowns provide a more aesthetically-pleasing solution. Resin crowns are made of a material that resembles the natural tooth color. It’s ideal to apply it on the visible parts of a child’s teeth. This alternative does come at the cost of reduced durability; however, it is subject to staining or discoloration over time.
Talk to our pediatric dentists in Utah if you’d like to keep your child’s teeth unaffected by minimal decay or damage. We can provide the appropriate restorative dental procedure to retain their oral health.
Preventing Orthodontic Problems
As children get closer to the age when their permanent teeth might erupt, our pediatric dentists might recommend that you put in a “space maintainer” in the place of a tooth that was removed due to severe decay. This will save the space created by a missing tooth to prevent other teeth from moving into that spot before the permanent tooth is ready to come in. Without a space maintainer, other teeth could drift out of their proper place, which can cause orthodontic problems down the road.
Teeth are critical for proper oral development, so when a child loses a tooth too soon it’s important to get crowns and other restorative work done. Schedule an appointment with Walker Pediatric Dentistry today to discuss whether a dental crown is the right option for your child. We service residents from all over Salt Lake City, from Murray, Holladay, and Sugar House.