Pediatric Crowns

Pediatric crowns are superior at protecting teeth that have been compromised by large amounts of decay. Therefore, if your child's cavity is fairly extensive, the decayed tooth is better restored using a pediatric crown. Although our office only offers esthetic zirconia crowns, we want our parents to know the difference between the two treatment options:

Stainless Steel Crowns

Stainless steel crowns are the “tried and true” option in pediatric dentistry, dating back to 1940! They offer excellent protection for teeth with large cavities and set the “gold standard” for care. Studies show that the overall success rate of stainless steel crowns is over 97%! The durability of a stainless steel crown is unsurpassed. It is more resistant to the heavy forces of chewing and a better choice for patients who grind their teeth at bedtime. Stainless steel crowns are also malleable, allowing the dentist to achieve optimum adaptation to a child’s tooth before cementation. Their inherent adaptability and bio-compatibility makes them easily acceptable to the surrounding gum tissue, resulting in excellent healing progression. Stainless steel crowns do not contain mercury unlike the silver-colored fillings traditionally used in dentistry.

Advantages of Stainless Steel Crowns?

• Durability — More resistant to fracture than Zirconia crowns

• Cost — Fraction of the price of Zirconia crowns

• Less Technique Sensitive — Quicker to place and easier for your child

• Excellent Seal — Edges of the crown are crimped to achieve excellent adaptive seal

• Various Shapes — Different sizes are available for each tooth & are easily adjusted to fit the baby tooth

Disadvantages of Stainless Steel Crowns?

• Aesthetic Limitations — Noticeable in color

Zirconia Crowns

Our office is proud to offer Zirconia Crowns, the number one choice in metal free aesthetic pediatric crowns world-wide. For years, stainless steel crowns have been, and continue to be, the standard of care for badly decayed baby teeth. Fortunately, with recent advances in ceramic technology many children now have an aesthetic option! If your child's cavity is extensive enough so that the tooth requires a crown, tooth colored crowns are a natural-looking alternative.

We offer beautifully milled Zirconia crowns that are the world's first all ceramic prefabricated crowns made especially for children.

Zirconia is a biocompatible material previously used in high-end cosmetic dentistry for adults. Fortunately, it is now available for use in pediatric dentistry. These tooth colored crowns are exceptionally natural-looking and a state-of-the-art alternative to unsightly metal crowns. They blend seamlessly into your child's smile while protecting the tooth structure. We believe these crowns are the best available option in the industry and we now offer them to our young patients. Ask our doctors for more information on these beautiful crowns.

Advantages of Zirconia Crowns?

• Unsurpassed Aesthetics — They can hardly be noticed by the untrained eye

• Zir-Lock Technology — A patented carving on the underside that allows them to have exceptional retention

• Various Shapes — Different sizes in width available for cases where there is space loss

Disadvantages of Zirconia Crowns?

• Fracture — Possible if eating hard candy or during a trauma

• Costly — More expensive than traditional crowns

• Requires More Patient Cooperation — These crowns are not for the most apprehensive patient