OKC Kids Tooth Colored Dental Crowns
Any time your child’s tooth is significantly damaged, they usually need more than just a simple filling. Especially if you’re addressing something like cracked tooth repair, severe decay, or a tooth that has been treated with a pulpotomy. All white dental crowns in Oklahoma City provide:
Tooth Colored Crowns: No Silver Teeth
All white dental crowns provide the protection that a severely decayed or broken baby tooth needs. Some of your child’s primary (baby) teeth will last until they’re 11-12 years old. And if the broken tooth is in your child’s smile zone, the tooth colored crowns blend in with their surrounding teeth.
Does My Child Need a Dental Crown?
Tooth colored crowns go around and over the entire tooth, up to the gum tissues. Crowns are essential when the tooth is too damaged to support a filling inside of it. For structural damage and cracked tooth repair, crowns offer better reinforcement than a filling and won’t give out during everyday use.
During your child’s exam with our OKC kid’s dentist, we’ll assess how deep the crack or cavity goes. An X-ray will also be necessary. Based on how much tooth structure is involved, Dr. Phil can discuss whether a filling or crown is better.
If your child has an abscessed tooth, a pulpotomy (baby root canal) will accompany the crown procedure. Simply “capping” an abscessed tooth would otherwise trap bacteria inside of it, leading to recurring toothaches.
Some of the most common reasons to need a dental crown are injuries and tooth decay. Wearing a sports mouthguard during athletic activities can help prevent traumatic injuries. Smaller cavities are best treated as early as possible before the bacteria spreads unto the surrounding tooth structures.
Crowns vs. Tooth Extractions
For a lot of parents, it’s natural to wonder whether your child can just have their tooth extracted instead of getting a crown on it. After all, that tooth will eventually fall out, right? Although it’s normal for primary teeth to shed at a certain age, losing them prematurely can permanently alter your child’s oral development. Losing just one tooth too soon could lead to impacted adult teeth, orthodontic concerns, changes in their facial profile, speech delays, and a lifetime of self-consciousness.
Crowns preserve the natural tooth as long as possible. That way the tooth can act as a placeholder and guide for the developing adult tooth underneath. Flossing and brushing around the restoration daily will help safeguard the tooth from recurring decay between checkups.
Think Your Child Needs a Crown?
Contact our children’s dentist, Dr. Phil, at Pragma Dental OKC. New patients are always welcome!