As a parent, you do all you can to make sure your child grows up with the best oral health and the happiest possible smile. Even with good home hygiene, decay and traumatic injuries can happen and affect the integrity of a primary tooth. We try to keep your child’s primary teeth intact whenever possible until the permanent teeth erupt, which is when restoring your child’s tooth with pediatric dental crowns becomes a good option.
Crowns are a restorative procedure used to improve a tooth’s shape or to strengthen a tooth. Crowns are most often used if your child has a tooth that is broken, worn, or damaged by tooth decay, and too damaged to hold a filling.
A crown is a “cap” cemented onto an existing tooth that usually covers the portion of the tooth above the gum line. In effect, the crown becomes the tooth’s new outer surface. Unlike fillings, which are applied directly onto your child’s tooth, a crown is fabricated in our lab and is based on an impression taken of your child’s mouth. We sculpt each crown for your child so that his or her bite and jaw movements function normally once the crown is placed.
Zirconia Crowns
Zirconia dental crowns are made from zirconium dioxide, a white powdered ceramic material. When milled from a solid block, zirconia is more durable and stronger than other types of ceramic crowns. The smoothness of zirconia also minimizes wear and tear on the adjacent teeth.
The strength of zirconia not only helps it last longer, but it also means the crown can be thinner than a traditional crown and require less removal of the healthy tooth structure below it for placement. It is always best to keep as much natural tooth as possible, both for the longevity of the crown and the tooth itself.
