Stainless Steel Crown | Happy Dentists

Metal crowns for kids, Stainless Steel Crown, Dental Crown for kids, Kids pirate tooth, Kids princess crown

It is like a princess or pirate crown for a baby tooth

The main aim is to seal the bacteria in, decreasing progression and buy time until the permanent teeth have developed. These extremely durable restorations are often indicated for use in primary (baby) teeth following; pulpotomy/pulpectomy, large carious lesions, when conventional restorations are likely to fail and some developmental defects. There are different techniques used - one involves shaving the sides of the tooth before hand, the other involves using rubber bands to create space. Both are successful but usually depend on the childs ability to withstand treatment to which technique is used. Parents, often ask why do we want to keep the baby tooth if it is to be lost later. Baby Teeth are important to maintain space for the adult teeth to come through if lost early then the child is likely to have crowding issues if untreated. Sometimes orthodontic treatment can be used with brackets and space maintainers to help keep the space if lost early but this should be avoided if possible. Please read below to find out more

Important Points In This Section

Why might we do a stainless steel crowns?
Stages of treatment
Advantages & Disadvantages

Why might we do a stainless steel crowns?

The goal of stainless steel crowns is to seal in caries and prevent progression of caries to the the pulp which results in infection. It does this but creating barrier and entombing the caries/bacteria, without sugars and a steady food source it can no longer progress. This buys time if the child is too young to handle an extensive filling or allows time for the eruption of the permanent teeth.These extremely durable restorations are often indicated for use in primary (baby) teeth following; pulpotomy/pulpectomy, large carious lesions, when conventional restorations are likely to fail and some developmental defects.

Stages of treatment

The procedure may take several visits to complete this is for the Hall Crown Technique

Stage 1

Place little rubber bands to create space. This feels a bit like popcorn stuck in between the childs teeth.

Stage 2

Place the stainless steel crown after a few days of the rubber band being there

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages
It is a non-invasive procedure in which the crown is cemented without local anesthesia, caries excavation, or tooth preparation.
It is a quick procedure that limits child’s anxiety.
It is considered as a less traumatic technique for the child.
It seals in carious lesion and could arrest caries or at least slow it down.
It improves pulpal health
Prevents the complications from an early extraction
Allows the tooth to be kept longer as it prevents further progression of bacteria towards the pulp (nerve and blood supply)

Disadvantages
It is a gray metal crown and may affect patients aesthetics. However, it is usually placed on teeth that are further back in the mouth and the crowned tooth will eventually fall out as the adult tooth takes its place. If the tooth is removed early then a metal space maintainer may need to be placed anyway.

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Still have concerns?

This page provides general information about dental topics. It does not contain all the known facts of this subject and is not intended to replace personal advice from your dentist. If your not sure about anything on this site, contact us or speak to your local oral health practitioner. Make sure you give your local oral health practitioner your complete medical history and dental history.

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Knocked out or chipped tooth

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A selection of the references used:
Seale, N. S. (2002). The use of stainless steel crowns. Pediatric Dentistry, 24(5), 501-505.
Altoukhi, D. H., & El-Housseiny, A. A. (2020). Hall Technique for Carious Primary Molars: A Review of the Literature. Dentistry journal, 8(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj8010011
Innes, N. P. T., Evans, D. J. P., Bonifacio, C. C., Geneser, M., Hesse, D., Heimer, M., ... & Santamaria, R. M. (2017). The Hall Technique 10 years on: Questions and answers. British dental journal, 222(6), 478-483.
Images adapted:
Adapted from free dental picture by authority dental" (CC BY 2.0) by Authority Dental

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