Category: Children

Primary teeth, also known as “baby teeth” or “deciduous teeth,” or “milk teeth”, begin to erupt approximately six months to one year after birth. Typically, preschool children have a complete set of 20 baby teeth. While the front baby teeth will be shed for permanent adult teeth between 6-8years of age, but the back teeth (canines and molars) aren’t replaced until age 10-12.

Frequently in pediatric dental practice we find parents ignorant about the primary tooth, its function and importance. They often question the necessity of treatment to save and maintain the milk tooth in function since primary teeth will eventually shed.

Maintaining healthy primary teeth is essential to a child’s overall oral and general development. The primary teeth are important in a child’s life as they help in mastication/chewing, in speech & pronunciation, contribute to aesthetics and preserve the integrity of the dental arches, finally guiding permanent teeth into their correct positions. Primary teeth hold the place open for permanent teeth, so that when your child’s adult teeth begin to push through the gum line there is a place ready for them, and the chances of crowded or overlapping teeth and improper eruption are minimized. Your child’s baby teeth also help in the proper growth of jaws.

Untreated carious/decayed teeth in young children frequently lead to pain and infection, necessitating emergency visits to the dentist. Carious teeth in early childhood are not only indicative of future dental problems, they also adversely affect growth and cognitive development by interfering with nutrition, sleep and concentration at school. In addition, they may have a significant impact on an individual’s quality of life.If left untreated, primary teeth can drop out completely – causing health and spacing problems for emerging permanent teeth.

Thus there is no logical reason for leaving primary teeth decayed and untreated in a child’s mouth. Early recognition and timely referral of infants and young children with dental caries is critical in preventing the unpleasant complications.So taking care of your child’s SMILE starts right NOW!

Why do dentists advise dental caps in children?

Pediatric dentists use metal crowns in children to seal the decay on primary molars and prevent tooth decay from progressing. These are stainless steel crowns and are biocompatible and relatively cheap. An extensively decayed baby tooth needs more than simply filling up the tooth. And therefore, we advise restoring the milk tooth with a metal crown. And especially if the tooth has received pulpal therapy (root canal therapy).Your child’s back teeth are the most used for chewing, and therefore require a restoration that will hold up under pressure until it is time for the milk teeth to fall out .Parents believe that the baby teeth will not remain in their child’s mouth for long. But the truth is that those molars remain around 12 years of age which means those teeth need to be preserved till then as the baby teeth help in guiding the permanent teeth in its proper position and maintains the space for them.

The most commonly used crowns for milk teeth in children are stainless steel crowns. Ceramic tooth coloured crowns are available nowadays . Primary teeth that have extensive decay over multiple surfaces, teeth that are broken or have a significant defect need capping. The crowns are durable and sturdy having full coverage protection for the tooth and less likely to need retreatment. The crowns function like a natural tooth. They allow the child to chew and speak comfortably and stay in place until the milk tooth falls off.

How are metal crowns made in children?

These pre-formed metal crowns are available in different sizes and are easily customizable for any tooth. The pediatric dentist will remove the decayed/damaged part of the tooth making the tooth decay free. We need accurate fit of the crown over the tooth. We check to see if it fully covers the tooth or not. The dentist will advise if the tooth needs to undergo root canal therapy. In such a scenario, the doctor will place the crown after the root canal is completed. Post crown placement the child may feel a little uncomfortable to bite down. But however, the discomfort will go away in 1-2 days.

Our aim is to go for the best treatment option for the milk teeth and the permanent tooth underneath it. Stainless steel metal crowns in children are a long-lasting and cost-effective way to preserve teeth . They preserve a primary tooth and can guide the permanent tooth in its correct position.