Dental Fillings and Crowns
Since your child is not familiar with the symptoms of a dental cavity, you may overlook them.
Tooth decay is the number one chronic childhood illness, with 42% of children ages 2-11 suffering with cavities. Unfortunately, many of these early cavities go undiagnosed and untreated. In fact, 23% of children within the same age group have untreated cavities, leading to even more discomfort and decay.
Since your child is not familiar with the symptoms of a dental cavity, you may overlook them. Instead of complaining about a sore tooth, your child might suddenly develop an aversion to eating, drinking, or speaking properly. This is even more of a problem when cavities occur in the molars or in between the teeth, where they are difficult to see. Since dental disease in children has also been tied to dangerous systemic diseases such as diabetes and pneumonia, it is crucial to bring your child in for their normal dental exams and checkups.
The entire staff at Smile Time Kids LOVES children. We enjoy their budding personalities and their constant search for answers. We are a compassionate, caring, and patient team when working with your child. Their young smiles are important to us. Call us today at 765-373-3100 with any questions you have regarding your child or stop by Smile Time Kids at 1002 Oak Drive, Richmond, IN, 47374.
We are a compassionate, caring, and patient team when working with your child. Their young smiles are important to us.
Call 765-373-3100 or contact our office today via online contact form. Our office is located at 1002 Oak Drive, Richmond, IN 47374. Let us help keep your child healthy together.
Dental Restorations for Children
Fillings and crowns are the most common types of dental restorations for children. The goal of dental restorations is to return the tooth to its original healthy shape and function, so that your child can eat, speak, and drink normally without pain. Choosing a dental filling or dental crown depends on the tooth and how much of the tooth is still healthy.
Information Regarding Fillings
Dental fillings are designed to patch the hole that dental decay has left in the tooth. Without fillings, food, plaque, and bacteria could easily collect in the space again, causing deeper and more painful cavities.
After we numb the area with a local anesthetic, the decay is removed with a gentle dental drill. Next, either a tooth-colored composite resin filling or a silver amalgam filling is used to fill in the cavity. The surface is smoothed, and the tooth is polished, leaving a strong, healthy tooth once again.
- A Few Pros of Dental Fillings They are less expensive in the short term. The option of a tooth-colored composite can preserve the aesthetics of the tooth.
- A Few Cons of Dental Fillings They are inadequate for teeth with large or multiple fillings; decay so close to the nerve that removal of decay would expose the nerve; or a baby tooth in which the nerve has been removed. There is a 60% failure rate in two years for the first baby molars. They tend to leak and stain, resulting in a crown or a possible extraction and spacer.
Information Regarding Dental Crowns
Stainless steel crowns are silver caps that cover the entire visible tooth. Porcelain crowns are tooth colored. Dental crowns for children are generally completed in one visit and will usually last until the tooth falls out at around the age of 12.
Often, if a two-surface filling is used to restore a first baby molar, the tooth may decay again, or the dental filling may break due to the shape of the tooth. If that occurs, the tooth may need a stainless-steel crown or to be extracted and treated with a space maintainer. That would mean your child would have to go through an extra procedure and you would pay for treatment of the same tooth twice. Our goal is to restore the health of the tooth for longevity. We place crowns on first baby molars that have decay in between the teeth, or on teeth which are too damaged to be repaired with fillings.
- A Few Pros of Dental Crowns They are quite durable. A less expensive solution in the long term. Crowns are less likely to fail and need additional work, which can save money. They can be completed in a single visit. The tooth-colored options for older children concerned about aesthetics.
- A Few Cons of Dental Crowns Stainless steel crowns can be obvious and unsightly. Ceramic white crowns potentially chip and are silver underneath. More tooth structure removed leading to possible nerve treatment. Excellent cooperation by your child is necessary.
More on Restorations for Children
While there are drawbacks to both fillings and crowns, their benefits in the right situations make them a first choice to treat dental decay, even in children. If your child has been complaining of a sore tooth or has stopped eating, talking, or drinking like they normally do, make an appointment today with the Smile Time Kids. Our kind and patient dentists and staff will do everything in their power to make your child feel comfortable and to proactively treat dental decay.
Silver Diamine Fluoride
While there are drawbacks to both fillings and crowns, their benefits in the right situations make them a first choice to treat dental decay, even in children. If your child has been complaining of a sore tooth or has stopped eating, talking, or drinking like they normally do, make an appointment today with the Smile Time Kids. Our kind and patient dentists and staff will do everything in their power to make your child feel comfortable and to proactively treat dental decay.
Schedule an Appointment Today
Smile Time Kids would like to share the recommendations of The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. They suggest bringing your child in for their first dental appointment as soon as their first tooth erupts or by the time your child is one, whichever occurs first. We will work with your child and treat them like family. We love happy and healthy children. Afterwards, children should visit at normal intervals just like you would schedule your own dental checkups. Call 765-373-3100 today to make an appointment with Smile Time Kids. Our office is located at 1002 Oak Drive, Richmond, IN 47374. Let us keep your child healthy together.
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Your child should see the dentist at the age of 1 year, or within 6 months of the appearance of his or her first tooth. A quick checkup will be done and x-rays taken to ensure the baby teeth are growing properly. If your child has multiple teeth already, they'll be counted and quickly cleaned.