Pediatric Dental Crowns

Tampa, Florida

If your child has a damaged or painful tooth, Reef Kids Dental is the place to be. We offer a range of restorative services, such as dental crowns, to restore your child's healthy, bright smile. Visit our Tampa office to get your child's oral health back on track.

What Is a Pediatric Dental Crown?

Pediatric dental crowns are similar to those used for adult teeth. They are tooth-shaped caps that cover the parts of the teeth you see over the gums. Your child may need a crown for the following reasons:

To restore a tooth with extensive decay
To support a baby tooth with a large filling
To protect a tooth after a nerve treatment
To strengthen a weak or damaged tooth
To repair a tooth fractured due to trauma

Why Restore a Baby Tooth?

It makes sense to restore an adult tooth, but why repair a baby tooth if it's going to fall out? Keeping primary teeth healthy will impact your little one's long-term oral health. These tiny chompers play a role in speech development and help with chewing, ensuring your child gets the nutrition needed to stay healthy. Most importantly, they hold the space needed for the permanent teeth to come in the correct position at the correct time.

Losing a baby tooth prematurely can sometimes leave your child's smile at risk. The neighboring teeth may move toward the gap, leading to misaligned teeth and blocking the future permanent teeth. Keeping baby teeth as healthy as possible by placing pediatric crowns can make it less likely that your child will need orthodontic treatment later on. We will evaluate each tooth and its individual needs, providing treatment options and making recommendations as needed.

Stainless Steel Dental Crowns - An Overview

Stainless steel crowns offer a quick, simple, and affordable solution to cover and protect damaged or decayed baby teeth until their adult replacements are ready to come in. They are made of a strong and durable material that can withstand daily wear and tear. Stainless steel crowns come in different sizes and shapes to fit different teeth without needing impressions. They are currently the gold standard in restoring baby teeth with the goal of lasting until they fall out. Note that when the teeth naturally fall out, the crowns fall out with them.

How Can You Prevent the Need for Dental Crowns?

The best way to keep your child's teeth healthy and avoid the need for a dental crown is to maintain good oral hygiene. That includes regular brushing and flossing and limiting sugary or acidic foods and beverages, which lowers the risk of tooth decay and cavities. It's also important to avoid hard foods or candies that can damage and chip your child's teeth.

We encourage you to visit Reef Kids Dental for routine dental exams and cleanings. Our team will monitor your child's teeth and treat any problems as they emerge, preventing the need for extensive treatments down the road.

How Can You Maintain Dental Crowns?

Dental crowns should be treated with more care than natural teeth. Sticky candies and gummies can loosen or remove crowns. Make sure to discuss a plan with your child to help avoid sticky treats offered at school to help save yourself a visit to the dentist.

Crowns should be brushed and flossed like normal teeth. A little bleeding is usually a sign of gum inflammation, often cured by improving the hygiene routine. When the baby tooth is ready to fall out, the crown should fall out along with it. Pediatric dental crowns do not affect the adult teeth growing underneath them.