5 Things to Expect During Your Child’s Dental Crown Placement
Your Child Needs a Dental Crown: What to Expect
You may think of dental crowns as a procedure that’s more for adults than young patients, but it isn’t uncommon for children to need crowns as well. A child’s dental crown provides the same restoration and protection as an adult’s, ensuring a strong, healthy, and full smile for your child.
If your child requires a dental crown, here are five things you can expect during the process:
1. Determining If Your Child Needs a Dental Crown
Your dentist can determine whether your child needs a dental crown. There are a variety of situations that can call for a child’s dental crown, and a crown may be necessary for either baby or permanent teeth.
For example, if your child experiences serious decay or damage to a baby tooth, they may require a pulpotomy. This is like a baby root canal treatment and will require a crown to provide lasting protection. Even if it’s a baby tooth, restoring the tooth is vital to ensure proper development and your child’s comfort.
A variety of the latest technologies go into diagnosing your child’s dental issues. Digital X-rays provide an instant look at their teeth and jaw with incredible resolution. Intraoral cameras also play a vital role, providing an up-close look at your child’s teeth.
2. Preparing Your Child’s Tooth
If your child needs a dental crown, the first step is to prepare the tooth. In many cases, a pulpotomy—or root canal treatment—is necessary to prevent infection.
At Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry, we use a Waterlase Epic Laser to remove the pulp from the tooth safely and comfortably. These water-cooled lasers don’t create noisy or uncomfortable vibrations, making them an exceptional choice for treating children who may experience dental anxiety.
The Waterlase Epic Laser is also more accurate and less invasive, resulting in faster healing.
3. Taking Impressions for Your Child’s Dental Crown
Enamel is removed from the exterior of the tooth to prepare a good foundation for the dental crown. After removing the enamel, an impression is taken of your child’s teeth so that the dental crown can provide a perfect fit and match their natural teeth.
In some cases, a temporary crown is placed to protect the prepared tooth until the final crown is ready. Specialty dental labs will sometimes fabricate the dental crowns. However, there are also options that allow for crowns in one visit, with the crown fabricated on-site.
4. Placing the Final Crown
Once the final crown is ready, it is insertedto restore your child’s smile. This could be during another appointment once the crown is ready from the lab or during the same visit if they manufacture the crown on-site.
Dental crowns are secured using dental cement that provides a strong and lasting hold. This ensures that your child’s dental crown stands up to the pressure and wear involved in chewing.
5. Recovery After the Procedure
Recovery after a dental crown placement is minimal. The dental crown placement itself is a straightforward procedure that may only require local anesthetic. Your child will feel fine shortly afterward. They might experience some tenderness for 24 hours after the crown placement.
If your child has a root canal treatment at the same time as a crown placement, they may experience other symptoms during recovery. There may be some mild discomfort, but they’ll be back to normal within a week. Sticking to soft foods and avoiding chewing on that side of the mouth, can help avoid soreness during recovery.
Same Day Crowns for Kids
You can ensure the best results for your child’s dental crown with EZCrowns by Sprig. These crowns are designed specifically for children, even providing white crowns on baby teeth that blend in seamlessly with your child’s smile.
EZCrowns are made from zirconia, a strong and durable ceramic material that is considered one of the best crown materials available today. Zirconia provides a natural-looking smile with a great color match.
Best of all, with EZCrowns by Sprig, your child can receive a crown in one visit, streamlining the treatment process for your child’s dental crown. At Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry, our team has undergone specialized training with this treatment method to provide the best possible results for your child’s dental crown.
The Best Dentist in Salem, OR, for Your Child’s Dental Crowns
If you find your child requires a child’s dental crown, you can put your trust in Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry for exceptional results. Our team is highly experienced in this area of pediatric care and makes use of the latest technology available.
We’ll first determine whether a dental crown is the right treatment for your child’s needs. From there, we offer single-visit dental crowns for children with white EZCrowns by Sprig. Unlike most pediatric practices, our team possess the skills and experience necessary to place these crowns for any case, even on back teeth.
Schedule a consultation today to find out more about your options.