The Top Choice for Tiny Teeth: Why Pediatric Dentists Love Stainless Steel Crowns

Children and dental care somehow do not sync well together. Children's habits and their lifestyle can cause dental issues much quicker than what it may for adults. Children have temporary teeth called primary teeth that are more sensitive and prone to decay and damage. Simple things like not brushing your teeth at night, not using the right kind of brush or toothpaste, not rinsing your mouth after sugary or caloric drinks or foods, having a high sugar diet, taking a bottle to bed etc are all factors that contribute to early childhood caries (ECC), a condition that is becoming extremely common in the world. 

Primary teeth in children is a must to care for as it helps with many different things in the normal day to day of life including chewing of food and learning to masticate in the early age, speech development and enunciation in young children, jaw shape and development, retaining the space for permanent teeth at the time of exfoliation and for better shaped and aligned teeth in the mouth. These are only a handful of reasons which require better care for primary teeth from the very beginning. 

Dental Health in Children

Every one kid amongst an average of 3 kids are becoming prone to dental issues due to lack of oral care and knowledge. Children all around the world grow up with very little dental care from their parents and often do not gather any of the best dental care habits afterwards in life either due to the poor knowledge that they are introduced with. This is especially prevalent in children who come from undeveloped countries and in low income groups where families are not familiar with dental and oral hygiene habits. 

Today, schools and the medical fraternity is ensuring that all kids be able to learn how to take care of their dental health and are familiarised with dentists who teach them the right use of toothpastes and the techniques of brushing their teeth as well as the best practices that need to be followed to have good dental and oral health in life. In doing so, children are able to avoid early age caries and any unprecedented dental issues that require pulp therapy or extraction. Crown, dental fillings, dental bridges etc have been introduced for pediatric dentistry as well as much as it is in usage for adults as a means to protect primary dentition in young children. 

Unlike most parents believe, primary dentition is extremely important and must be given proper care from the very beginning - that is from the time the baby gets his or her first tooth. Regular brushing with a mild baby toothpaste and then gradually introducing fluoride toothpaste with a soft brush and flossing helps protect against plaque buildup and effective cleaning of the mouth. With proper care, children rarely develop conditions such as Early age caries but neglecting oral care causes thin enamel to erode and get infected quickly. Instead of extraction, pediatric dentists will always want to preserve the tooth using a dental crown. 

Stainless Steel Dental Crowns for Children

For several years, stainless steel dental crowns have been preferred by dentists all over the world because of its immaculate appeal for primary dentition. Unlike other dental materials that are either not strong enough or too expensive, stainless steel crowns appeal to all kinds of patients with all kinds of requirements. The only group that this crown does not apply to is if the child has a known metal allergy. Nickel, which is a constituent of Stainless steel crown, is a metal known to cause allergies in some children. If you have a proven history of metal allergy, only then these crowns may be off limits but for everybody else, a good old Stainless steel crown tooth restorations are the norm. 

Even with all the tooth coloured and expensive dental material options in the market, pediatric stainless steel crowns still remain the undoubted winner. The reason? Its myriad benefits and advantages over all the other materials in the world. There are a host of benefits that stainless steel crowns offer making it one of the best materials known to mankind. Stainless steel crowns for adults were used profoundly up until the last century but with the advent of many new age materials and technology and the need for aesthetics, adults now have a larger option for restoration materials to choose from. Stainless steel crowns for pediatric dentistry still remain the golden standard for children. 

Stainless steel dental crowns are an apt solution for a bunch of different issues that are most common in children such as:

• Loss of tooth due to a fall or injury
• Fracture or chipping of the tooth
• Early age caries or tooth infection
• After pulpal therapy or RCT in children
• Misshapen teeth or crooked tooth 
• Discoloured tooth 

These are some of the applications of dental crowns. Now the indications of stainless steel crowns in children include:

• Child with deep and wide carious lesions 
• Child requiring significant removal of primary tooth structure
• Child who needs pulpal therapy 
• Child who needs a economic yet sturdy restoration for their dental issues
• Child has multiple restorations requirement at a time
• Child is prone to accidents and may lose their restorations frequently
• Child has poor dental and oral hygiene 
• Child has low access to dental and oral hygiene
• Child does not cooperate with elaborate dental treatments and restoration process
• Child needs a durable option as permanent teeth exfoliation will take long
• Child is less than 4 years of age and needs a safe, strong and durable restoration option
• Child has no known metal allergies

These are some of the indications for the use of Stainless steel crowns in children. Contraindications for stainless steel crowns are listed below:

• Child is self-conscious and wants an aesthetically pleasing option (especially in the case of anterior restorations)
• Child has a known metal allergy or Nickel allergy 
• Child’s permanent tooth is nearing exfoliation and therefore restoration is not required

These are some of the contraindications where in stainless steel crowns may not be the best application. As you can see, the benefits and application of stainless steel crowns far exceed the latter and this is why stainless steel tooth crowns still remain the most preferred option. 

Benefits of Stainless Steel Crowns 

Let us now discuss in detail the benefits and advantages of choosing Pediatric Stainless Steel crowns for your child rather than the costlier options in the market:

1. Strength

Stainless steel crowns are extremely strong and can be used for molars and premolar restorations with ease. These crowns can withstand pressure which is more than double the bite force of a typical child making them one of the most preferred dental restoration materials of choice for posterior teeth. Not all materials in the market are suitable for the eating pattern of a child that is still learning to do so and therefore Stainless steel crowns are the best. 

2. Durability

Stainless steel crowns are very durable and can survive in the mouth of a young patient for as long as 10 years or even more with good care. The best part about these crowns is that they are very low maintenance and can be used in children without the need for regular intervention. Stainless steel crowns need only basic dental and oral hygiene and minimal upkeep. They are therefore best for children who are known for erratic dental hygiene, poor diet, low oral upkeep and may not cooperate in regular dental visits either. 

3. Years of Research and Recommendation

Many dental associations around the world have conducted research for many years that support the fact that stainless steel crowns are infact one of the best in the market. Many years of research has been conclusive of this fact and therefore dentists swear by the efficacy of this material over anything else. All the other fancy dental materials have very less data and research to back their claim unlike Stainless steel. The AAP or the American Association of Pediatricians approve the use of Stainless steel crowns in young children as well. 

4. Ease of Use

Stainless steel crowns are extremely easy to use for dentists. It is a known fact that children do not cooperate for lengthy dental appointments where they need to stay still and remain calm. Young children in specific can get very anxious and will not cooperate for a detailed dental restoration session. This is why stainless steel crowns come preformed or premade at manufacturing facilities under many different brands. Prefabricated stainless steel crowns, as they are referred to, are the best solution to this issue.

5. Availability

Since they are already available in many different sizes and shapes, the dentists can simply check for fit and easily adjust the crown by crimping and contouring them based on the childs’ specific requirement. This makes it one of the best options in the market as it is not only easily available, it is best suited for children and their behaviour as it cuts down on the restoration time. Crowns can be fit within a single seating and the patient is done within minutes.

Stainless steel crowns are now available under many brands and come in many different sizes and shapes. All the dentist needs to do is to check for fitting and with a few adjustments, the child is good to go!

These are some of the advantages and benefits of using Stainless steel crowns and it is conclusive to the fact that they are one of the best options even in today’s modern world for pediatric patients globally.