6 Benefits of Dental Crowns for Children
Cavities and oral trauma are common situations in infants and can lead to extensive destruction of teeth. And to solve these situations, dental crowns are an excellent option.
With this dental treatment, it’s possible to get children to chew, eat, and speak properly. In addition, they can avoid uncomfortable situations, such as teasing or embarrassment, due to the appearance of their damaged teeth.
Keep reading and find out all the benefits that these elements offer to children.
What are dental crowns for children?
Dental crowns are a complete coverage of the destroyed teeth to restore their anatomy and functionality. They’re real caps that wrap around the visible surface of the baby teeth to allow them to regain their shape and size.
Although it’s possible to customize dental crowns for children, this isn’t the most common. For reasons of time and comfort, pediatric dentists use pre-fabricated crowns, which come in different sizes and thicknesses to better fit the patient’s mouth.
Depending on the material used to make the crowns, they can be grouped as follows:
- Metallic: Made of stainless steel. These are the most durable, resistant, and easy to place. Their appearance is not very esthetic, so they’re chosen to cover very destroyed temporary molars.
- Aesthetic: These are made of acetate or polycarbonate. They’re used in temporary teeth, as they achieve a good esthetic finish. However, they can wear and change color over time.
- Zirconium: These are the most esthetic and resistant, but at the same time, the most expensive. As they don’t contain metal, they’re useful to avoid the development of allergic reactions.
When are dental crowns for children necessary?
As we’ve already mentioned, dental crowns for children make it possible to restore the anatomy, esthetics, and functionality of a badly destroyed or damaged baby tooth. These are the most common situations that may require the use of such pediatric caps:
- Very extensive cavities with a lot of destruction and loss of dental tissue.
- Dental trauma with tooth fractures.
- Developmental defects in the enamel and dentin that cause alterations in the shape, color or size of the teeth.
- Very extensive restorations. Dental crowns provide strength and a better finish to teeth with very large fillings.
- Rehabilitation after pulp treatment.
The benefits of the use of dental crowns in children
Now that we’ve clarified what dental crowns are and in what situations they’re used, let’s look at their benefits in detail.
1. They restore function and esthetics
By recovering the original shape and size, the baby teeth can fulfill their functions properly. This allows the child to chew, eat, and speak normally. In addition, from an esthetic point of view, teasing, complexes, or self-esteem problems due to the appearance of the smile are avoided.
2. Prevent malocclusions
When a baby tooth is lost prematurely or is badly destroyed, neighboring teeth tend to move and occupy the gap. This makes it difficult for the permanent teeth to erupt, as they don’t find the right space to erupt and must do so in the wrong places. This causes bite problems. The recovery of the anatomy of the milk teeth with dental crowns for children favors the eruption process of the permanent teeth. The integrity of the temporary element guarantees the preservation of the space and acts as an “eruptive guide”.
3. They’re economical
When it comes to placing dental crowns on children, prefabricated crowns are usually the first choice. Because they come ready to fit and ready to use, they’re inexpensive. Therefore, they’re considered cost-effective and affordable for patients. Among these, metal options are usually the most economical.
4. They’re easy to fit
Most dental crowns for children are easy to manipulate, adapt, and place on the baby teeth. The wide variety of sizes and shapes makes it possible to choose the most suitable one for each patient. Their placement doesn’t require too much time, as the crown is chosen and tried on the tooth already prepared to receive it. Once the crown has been selected, it’s cemented onto the element.
5. They’re durable
Although this is a benefit that may depend on other factors, in general, children’s dental crowns tend to last a long time. They require no maintenance other than proper oral hygiene. The strength of the material, especially metal ones, prevents destruction or fracture, which ensures durability. This allows the milk teeth to arrive without new problems when the time comes for them to fall out.
6. They prevent complications
As it’s a structure that covers the entire dental crown, crowns prevent leaks that are capable of causing complications. Thus, teeth rehabilitated with caps have a lower risk of developing new cavities, fractures, or infections.
An effective alternative
Even if they’re teeth that will fall out at some point, milk teeth need good care and attention. Proper dental hygiene, a nutritious, low-sugar diet, and a routine of frequent dental checkups all contribute positively to this. However, there are situations that can’t be avoided and from which temporary teeth can be damaged. The great news is that cavities, fractures, stains, and malformations can be solved.
As we told you here, dental crowns for children are an excellent alternative that allows you to restore the appearance and functionality of baby teeth. They’re quick, efficient, and suitable for children who need to recover their smile until the time of dental replacement.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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