Pure Radiance: The Distinctive World of Pediatric White Crowns

In the battle of what is healthy vs what is tasty, children and parents find themselves at polar opposites. Where on one side children want to dwell in the shiny bright colourful world of snacks, beverages and sugary treats, parents end up worrying over their child's dental and oral health. No amount of brushing or flossing can help in preventing the damages that are done by sugary treats and the microbes that can cause cavities and severe damage to the primary teeth of a child. Since parents can only do so much when it comes to children’s dental and oral health, modern dentistry has taken over and created amazing solutions to dental problems such as early age caries, cavities and tooth loss.

Parents always want to provide the best of care for their children and in a modern world that we live in, self confidence and self esteem of a child matters more than anything. Gone are the days when children used to wear metallic, shiny stainless steel crowns and caps and braces. Children today do not want jarring appearances with metallic crowns and braces. They want unique, dependable and yet esthetically pleasing options that can get the job done but also do not come in the way of general grooming.

Introduction to White Pediatric Crowns

This is where white crowns or pediatric white crowns come into the picture. Esthetic pediatric crowns are basically crowns that are made of zirconia which lend excellent esthetics combined with efficiency and ability. Zirconia crowns are very strong, durable and come with great esthetics all of which make them the ideal white pediatric crowns since they appear white in colour and blend perfectly with the rest of the primary teeth. If you are a parent looking for pediatric crown front teeth for your child, you definitely should invest in a crown that not only provides strength, durability and functionality, but also aesthetics, since the crowns are super visible in your child's mouth.

Although there are many other options in the market such metallic crowns, stainless steel crowns, Resin strip crowns or polycarbonate crowns, Zirconia crowns are definitely the popular choice amongst most Gen Z parents today. The reason behind this is simple - unhindered aesthetics with the best of both worlds. Zirconia crowns look opaque white in nature and therefore can be used perfectly to create custom shaped primary teeth using specialised CAD/CAM machines. Provided that primary teeth are of varying sizes and forms, these crowns can be built in the lab using Zirconia slabs which gives perfect shape and fit. 

Excellent Alternative to Metal crowns

Metal and Stainless steel crowns have dominated the pediatric crown market for years but the obvious problem with these crowns is their appearance. Although when it comes to facts, stainless steel crowns have excellent strength, durability and efficiency - it lacks when it comes to esthetics which has created the need for a good looking, perfectly blending option in modern dentistry. Even though stainless steel crowns offer budgeted and pocket friendly solution to dental issues, many parents are now not preferring these metallic crowns for 2 main reasons:

1. Lack of esthetics

An obvious reason - the jarring metallic appearance of stainless steel crown is one of the top reasons why both children and parents do not prefer this. Even though this type of crown can be used for posterior teeth restoration in young kids or kids who are nearing exfoliation, anterior teeth restoration with stainless steel crowns are seldom done even by dentists. More and more kids become extremely self conscious of their appearance today and therefore want a more easy, neutral and natural looking dental material for their dental issues.

A study on children in the UK revealed that many children chose white crowns or natural looking crowns over metallic looking crowns by as early as 5 years of age. The link between self confidence, esthetics and self awareness is achieved by a normal human being towards puberty but with advancement in technology, growing awareness and evolution amongst humans has decreased the age bar. Now children feel more comfortable and more confident when they have good aesthetics which includes a healthy set of teeth and a toothy smile.

2. Avoiding metal

Many parents are now actively working towards reducing the metal components that they allow inside their bodies and for their kids as well. This includes even the simplest and low complication metal fittings such as stainless steel crowns or metal implants. Many parents are now looking into more biocompatible options such as Zirconia or all ceramic crowns, both of which lend excellent aesthetics.

Children of a young age may develop metal allergies especially to the nickel component in stainless steel crowns or in metal crowns and so, parents look into avoiding such risk factors by choosing biocompatible materials such as Zirconia. Not only are these perfect for young children, they also look great because of the white exterior and blend well with the rest of the teeth, thereby improving aesthetics and boosting self confidence in children.

Applications of White Crowns made of Zirconia for Pediatric patients

Need for Zirconia crowns

Zirconia white crowns are excellent ways to replace broken, fractured, missing or discoloured anterior teeth in young children. The lack of anterior teeth is a high risk factor that can lead to several issues in young kids such as:

• Neuromuscular imbalance (decreased skills of mastication)
• Inability to pronounce properly at a young age
• Issues with clear speech development
• Jaw development issues 
• Misalignment or teeth or crowding of teeth due to lack of space adjustment
• Psychological effects such as low self esteem or self confidence due to lack of esthetics

In all of these scenarios, dental crowns are the perfect solution and can be utilised to correct issues with anterior primary teeth in young children so that the space of the missing tooth can be effectively utilised and reserved for when the secondary teeth naturally erupt. This is especially of greater importance for children who lose their teeth quite young and have too many years before natural exfoliation.

Perfect Restoration Technique

Zirconia pediatric crowns are a type of all ceramic crowns but with the added advantage of superior strength and durability that is provided by the Yttrium stabilised form of Zirconia blocks from which these crowns are milled from using specialised lab equipment utilising CAD and CAM softwares. Using this technique, doctors and technicians are able to prepare perfectly fitting crowns for young children despite their varying sizes within a short period of time and also helps in reducing the chair side adjustment time because of the precise method of preparation. When it comes to pediatric patients, this is a great advantage as most children resist longer adjustment times and may not cooperate with procedures.

Zirconia crowns are made to measure and therefore they fit perfectly and require very less crimping and adjustments. This means that the child can get the tooth affixed within no time and with very little adjustments, is ready to go!

Anterior teeth restoration

When it comes to the loss of anterior teeth in pediatric patients, it can get very tricky. Anterior teeth are important for proper masticatory skills, proper speech and enunciation skills and for better psychological experience in young kids in terms of a healthy and glowing smile that boost self confidence (or the lack thereof because of bad teeth).

Zirconia white crowns offer full coverage and aesthetically pleasing restoration options for incisors and molars of pediatric patients. Another great plus for zirconia white crowns is the fact that they prevent any cracks or fractures post the placement of the crowns in the patient's mouth. Since zirconia can shift from one crystalline form to another, they can successfully prevent any cracks by increasing the volume of the crown.

Because the lack of proper anterior teeth can be quite uncomfortable and disturbing to a growing, young child, choosing the best anterior teeth replacement is of paramount importance for parents. A study conducted on the overall satisfaction of primary dental crowns revealed that most parents were extremely satisfied with Zirconia crowns for their children. Resin strip crowns and preveneered stainless steel crowns were the other two options in this study.

Cost of Pediatric White crowns

Perhaps the only factor that may be of discussion is the cost of these white crowns. Pediatric crown cost varies with the type of material that is chosen. Most parents may not be willing to spend much on a good dental crown for their child as they are temporary in nature and are soon replaced by permanent teeth. But a good dental crown can do wonders for your child's dental and oral health.

Although resin strip crowns, preveneered stainless steel crowns or other esthetic crowns in the market are cheaper than Zirconia white crowns, the latter is a more proven option with better esthetics, superior strength and longer durability. Studies have revealed that parents were much happier and satisfied with the post restoration period for children who had white crowns made of zirconia than with resin strip crowns or preveneered stainless steel crowns.

There are many different kinds of brands offering zirconia white crowns for pediatric patients today and therefore based on the manufacturer, the cost of these white crowns may range between a few hundred dollars. Zirconia crowns and their superior quality and abilities make it worth the investment and helps promote better esthetics and dental hygiene for children.