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Repairing Children's Teeth
When dentists talk about restoring a tooth, they are referring to any procedure that returns the tooth to its original shape and function. Fillings and crowns are the most common ways to do this. Children's primary and permanent teeth sometimes need restoration. There are several reasons this might be needed:
You may think it's not necessary to place a filling in a primary (baby) tooth. After all, it eventually will fall out and be replaced by a permanent tooth. However, primary teeth are important for several reasons:
Also, remember that tooth decay is an infection. If a primary tooth is decaying, this infection may also spread to other teeth, including adult teeth when the child is older. Infection also could affect the child's general health. A primary tooth can be restored with a filling or a crown. Which one is used depends on how much of the tooth is still healthy. Primary teeth are more likely than permanent teeth to need a crown if they have a lot of decay. That's partly because primary teeth are smaller. They also have thinner layers of enamel (the outer surface) and dentin (the layer beneath enamel). Large fillings in primary teeth tend not to last as long as crowns. A primary tooth with a filling or crown will still fall out when it is time for the permanent tooth to come in.
Children's permanent teeth generally are filled in the same way as adults' permanent teeth. The making and fitting of a crown, however, is very different. A child's crown usually made of stainless steel. It is completed in a single visit. In an adult, a crown is done in several visits.
Managing Anxiety in Children Types of Fillings Used in Children Placing a Filling Crowns for Primary (Baby) Teeth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Last updated December 6, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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