At Brush Pediatric Dentistry, we do everything we can to protect your child’s pearly whites from harm. However, we know that life just happens sometimes! If your little one’s teeth sustain damage that can’t be fixed with a filling, such as a large cavity or crack, we may recommend a custom-made dental crown. When it comes to giving your child’s smile the royal treatment, these reliable restorations are often the perfect choice. Give us a call today to learn more or schedule your child’s next appointment.
Dental Crowns Hinsdale and Downers Grove
Giving Your Child’s Smile the Royal Treatment
Why Choose Brush Pediatric Dentistry for Children’s Dental Crowns?
- A Variety of Materials for Truly Customized Results
- Experienced Team of 5 Board-Certified Pediatric Dentists
- Our Locations Are Fun and Family-Friendly
What Is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown is a “cap” that is designed to fit over a single tooth. These restorations cover the entire portion of the tooth that is above the gumline, offering protection on all sides. Dental crowns strengthen a compromised enamel while protecting it from future damage and infection. At Brush Pediatric Dentistry, we offer three different types of dental crowns:
Stainless Steel Crowns
Stainless steel crowns are usually the number one choice for pediatric dentists when it comes to restoring a child’s damaged teeth because they are durable, reliable, and time-tested. Most often, they are used to restore the back teeth, known as the molars and premolars. These teeth are typically placed under the most stress when a child is chewing and are the most often missed while brushing. They are filled with tiny crevices and ridges to help with chewing, but this also makes them very susceptible to decay. A stainless steel crown is ideal for repairing these teeth because they can best replicate the strength of real enamel, and also because they are well hidden at the back of the mouth.
Composite Crowns
Composite crowns are made of the same material as tooth-colored fillings: a natural-looking composite resin. These crowns are ideal for restoring the front teeth that are seen when a child smiles because they can be shaded to match their natural tooth color. While it is the more aesthetically pleasing option, composite crowns are not as strong as their stainless steel counterparts. They can break or chip over time and can often become stained.
If your child has a composite crown applied to one of their teeth, be sure they are extra diligent with their home oral hygiene and are extremely careful about not biting into very hard foods such as carrots, lollipops, and apples and instead, using the back teeth so they can help maintain the crowns appearance and shape.
All-White Ceramic Crowns
If your child is a candidate, all-white ceramic crowns are the most cosmetic option when it comes to restoring your child’s severely broken and damaged teeth. They provide both functionality and aesthetics with just one restoration. Each crown is made of all-white zirconia that is strong, durable, and shaded to match the natural color of your child’s teeth. They are also completely biocompatible and won’t make your child’s teeth sensitive to hot and cold.
The Process of Getting a Dental Crown
Once we’ve met with you and your child and determined which type of dental crown is best in your case, the next step is to have the crown placed. This process typically takes two appointments. During the first visit, the damaged tooth is slightly reshaped. Some enamel needs to be removed for the new crown to fit. Then, we’ll take impressions of the area and place a temporary dental crown over the tooth.
Before your next appointment, we’ll send the impressions to a local dental lab to have your child’s dental crown custom-made for a perfect fit. You’ll return to our office to have the temporary crown removed and replaced with the brand-new dental crown! Once it is cemented in place, it should protect the damaged tooth for several years.
How Dental Crowns Improve Growing Smiles
Why should children get dental crowns? Many parents wonder this, especially if the tooth in need of a crown is a primary (baby) tooth. The truth is, these simple restorations go a tremendously long way in protecting your child’s oral health in both the short and long term. Children’s dental crowns provide benefits like:
- Strong materials protect the damaged tooth as your child chews and talks, making eating much more comfortable
- Fully encapsulating a tooth with a dental crown fends off bacteria that seek to cause cavities or infection
Strengthening and protecting a compromised tooth dramatically lowers the risk of needing more intensive and more costly procedures such as extractions or root canals
Kids Dental Crown FAQs
At Brush Pediatric Dentistry of Hinsdale, we craft our crowns from customized, natural-looking materials that are durable enough to protect small smiles. Whether you opt for an all-porcelain or ceramic dental crown for your child, we’ll make sure the restoration fits perfectly atop your child’s tooth to protect it from further harm, all while helping them maintain a confident grin.
Our board-certified pediatric dentists at Brush Pediatric Dentistry of Hinsdale will never recommend placing a dental crown on a temporary tooth unless we feel it’s absolutely necessary to maintain the health of your child’s entire smile. Even though your child’s baby tooth may fall out within months, if we recommend restoring it, it’s because not doing so could cause an issue to progress and require more serious intervention in the future. Our top priority is your little one’s oral health, so if at any point you have questions regarding our recommended treatment plan, we always encourage you to ask us!
For children, dental crowns either last until their temporary tooth falls out naturally on its own, or if it’s placed on a permanent tooth, for over 10 years. However, the lifespan of any dental restoration largely depends on how well it’s taken care of. By maintaining good at-home oral hygiene and visiting our office every six months for routine checkups and cleanings, your child can get the most out of their dental crown.
Our pediatric dentists solely work with children, so we understand how much of an impact an uncomfortable or fear-inducing dental treatment can have on your little one’s perception of the dental office. That’s why we always put your child’s comfort first. We’ll numb the tooth that we’ll be treating before we begin the procedure and help your child feel right at home. We also offer pediatric sedation dentistry in Hinsdale if they need a little extra assistance to feel relaxed during their procedure.