Stainless steel crowns

What are stainless steel crowns?

Stainless steel crowns are caps/ covers for baby teeth which are made of stainless steel.

When does my child need stainless steel crown?

Stainless steel crowns provide complete coverage to the tooth. They are usually required after a tooth undergoes pulp treatment, if the tooth is grossly decayed, tooth has proximal caries or if the tooth is hypoplastic.

How do I know that my child needs stainless steel crowns?

Your pediatric dentist will advise you for stainless steel crowns if it is indicated.

Will the stainless steel crown hurt my child’s gums?

Stainless steel crowns usually do not hurt the gums because the margins are well smoothened and polished before the crown is cemented. Also the margins of the crowns are placed just 1 mm into the sulcus surrounding the tooth.

How do I know that it’s time to remove the stainless steel crown?

Stainless steel crown do not require removal. They fall off along with the milk tooth on which it is cemented. Ask your pediatric dentist about estimated age for exfoliation of tooth.

What happens if I don’t put stainless steel crown after pulp treatment is completed?

After the pulp treatment is completed, the tooth becomes brittle and is susceptible to fracture. A stainless steel crown should be put after the treatment to protect the tooth against fracture and re-infection. If only a filling is done after pulp treatment, re-infection, secondary decay and tooth fracture can take place resulting in failure of pulp treatment.

But the stainless steel crowns are not tooth colored?

Stainless steel crowns are only temporary crowns which fall off along with the milk tooth. They have many advantages which overweigh its disadvantage of having metallic color. Once cemented on a milk tooth, it protects the milk tooth till it is present in the oral cavity. Few years of metal color in oral cavity can be helpful in providing a healthy permanent tooth.