CROWNS

When your pediatric dentist tells you that your child has a cavity and a filling won’t be enough, you may feel like you have failed and you may be concerned about the procedure itself. Don’t worry; many children need crowns to protect their teeth because primary teeth are more prone to decay than adult teeth. The best pediatric dentist in Los Angeles will also make your child’s experience as easy and stress-free as possible.

Your dentist will start by numbing the area to make the procedure completely painless. As a children’s specialty dentist, we offer several sedation dentistry options for your child’s comfort. Some children, especially those who need extensive work, do best under IV sedation which means they are asleep during the procedure. Others do fine with “laughing gas” or conscious sedation. Once the area is numb, your pediatric dentist will place a dental dam to isolate the tooth and protect your child’s gums. Decay will be carefully removed from the tooth and the tooth will be shaped to get it ready for a crown. The crown will be placed securely over the tooth and shaped to preserve your child’s bite.

When your child has a cavity that is too large or deep to “fill” with a filling, your child will need a crown to protect the tooth. Large cavities compromise the tooth’s strength and allow bacteria to enter the tooth and cause further decay. A crown works to restore the tooth’s shape and appearance while preventing any additional decay. A crown is also able to withstand the pressure of chewing on the back molars which a filling cannot do.

Even baby teeth are worth saving with a crown when possible. When a baby tooth is pulled prematurely, surrounding teeth may crowd the empty space. This leaves less room for a permanent tooth to erupt because baby teeth serve as placeholders for adult teeth. Primary teeth may also last for longer than you think: the molars in the back of the mouth, for example, are used mostly for chewing and don’t fall out until the age of 12.