Crowns

A crown is a restoration that gets “cemented” onto an existing tooth and fully cover the portion of the tooth above the gum line. In effect, the crown becomes the tooth’s new outer surface. Sometimes this is necessary due to the extent of decay or size of a fracture of a tooth, and there not being enough healthy tooth structure left to reliably hold a filling in place. 

Any crowned tooth must be brushed and flossed just like other teeth.  Teeth can typically be restored with pediatric crowns in one appointment.  Dr. Meredith will talk through the different options and help you decide which might be the best choice for your child if a crown is needed.

Crown Options

Stainless steel crowns are considered the "gold standard" restoration to save a primary tooth until the permanent tooth can erupt due to its strength, fit, and durability. 

Strip crowns are custom-made out of white filling material and are often chosen because of their esthetics on front teeth. While they are beautiful, they can stain and fracture more easily than metal or porcelain.

Resin-veneered crowns are made of stainless steel with a white plastic coating on the front to improve esthetics. The metal base does make it stronger, but the white coating can chip away leaving silver metal visible on front teeth.

Zirconia crowns are made of a type of porcelain that is extremely durable and beautiful. These crowns look very natural and have the best retention of any of the options for front teeth.