When are stainless steel crowns used?

The stainless steel crowns are the first type of tooth crowns you will come across, on having the decay removed from the tooth. Not all teeth affected with decay need this crown. It is urgently required and becomes a necessity when the dental filling is too large or the tooth mass after treatment of the decay has become minimal. The stainless steel crowns for children’s teeth and adults are made of the same dental grade material but vary in their structure and cusp shapes. These are either customised or readily usable in different situations with minute modifications if necessary.

When are stainless steel crowns used

The pediatric stainless steel crowns and adult tooth crowns vary in price too. In children it costs about $400 -$ 1000 and in adults it ranges between $600 -$ 1500. For both they form excellent protection for the vulnerable tooth structure. It maintains the structural integrity and relieves the client of unnecessary pain and sensitivity of the tooth, while doing the daily activities of ingesting food and speaking confidently.

Know the Purpose of Stainless Steel Crowns

The dental crowns are relied heavily when the issue with the tooth is hereditary in nature. Deformed and crooked tooth growth could be directed from the early stages itself to avoid severe complications later in life. Here are the different purposes to ponder over the dental crown seatings.

  • Protects the baby tooth or the adult tooth from massive decays
  • Clearing off the dental pulp which seems to be infected with the decay (pulpotomy)
  • Allows comfortable chewing and speaking
  • Reduces the spread of dental caries
  • Holds the dental filling and tooth enamel from eroding
  • Imparts strength to the already weakening tooth structure
  • It costs nominal compared to the expensive crown types popular in dentistry
  • Aids in temporary crownings
  • Durable, Non-toxic and non-reactive dental material
  • Readily available in sets with the dental surgeon for both children and adults
  • To rectify the dental growth in case of the deformed tooth structures (developmental defects)
  • Compliments the tooth structure which has developed cracks, got chipped or broken due to any sort of dental trauma.

Now, the stainless steel crowns for children’s teeth can be installed easily with the use of dental tools, local anaesthesia and trial method of trying the crowns one by one. The tooth enamel is a brittle substance. Unlike the tissue around the tooth, it is hard and brittle in nature. The steel crowns are tougher alternatives to the comparatively brittle nature of tooth like porcelain and resin crowns.

The colour of the stainless steel crown pediatrically ideal is dark and lustrous. Its colour makes it more adaptable to the tooth types that can take on much force while chewing up food. Molars are the perfect tooth types to have these crowns to protect and defend themselves from further damages.

Types of Stainless Steel Crowns

The stainless steel crown teeth are composed of nickel, chromium, iron and other elements. These make it non-corrosive and highly durable material in existence. They  are basically available in three versions.

  • Like the uncut diamonds but in crude shape, the untrimmed crowns are the fundamental types of stainless steel crowns. These are readied roughly according to the specifications of the tooth to be restored.
  • The pre-trimmed crowns are the crowns with straight sides which lay in tandem with the gingival sides but still require some form of trimming.
  • Precontoured crowns are the least modified crowns due to their ready to use nature. These resemble the tooth structure very closely and require little to nil modifications.

The stainless steel pediatric crowns are so easy to seat on the primary tooth. There is no need to visit the dentist again and again. In a single visit this is completed to last for 8-14 years. As they fall off with the baby tooth on reaching maturity; it is the perfect crown to go with. The expensive crowns might be a loss as the baby tooth comes off to give way to the permanent adult tooth sets. That is precisely why parents choose the metal crowns, specifically the stainless steel ones for safe disposal of the milk tooth.

What comes after the Crowning?

The dental crowns might feel odd on the tooth right after the effect of the drug wears off. The patient opens and closes the jaw to see if it poses some issue for the opposite tooth. There is a one to two day period to go through to accept the crown as part of self, and subsequently this is overcome with medications that subdue the pain and uneasiness related to it. Ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen are recommended by dentists varying in concentration and doses as per the age and severity of pain in children and adults.

For children this time is critical to pass for a long lasting impact on their healthy dental constitution.

The dental cements are strong materials to reckon with. The tooth pulp remains untouched by the outside impurities which slide past and do not stick to the crown surface. As it is smooth and sleek, easy to clean as well. Brushing the teeth twice and flossing in children and adults respectively, would keep the germs from taking a leap in their numbers. The steel crown does not breach with cracks on its surface for these notorious elements to trouble the tissue inside- the tooth pulp and sensitive tissues remain well isolated in their casing. The steel crowns do not cause much of the inflammation specially contributed to the other crown types which are bulky, brittle and have limited lifetime like the resin crowns.

Conclusion

What is more healthy? Treating the tooth aches on some random advice from searching around or seeking expert advice and being complacent thereafter, is your choice to make. The first will cost you and your child dearly as the microscopic nerves and tissues are involved regarding the tooth, whose roots go deeper in the jaw and the anatomy is delicate. Do not go by the tooth enamel alone which presents the toughest cover of the tooth while the picture is completely different when digging deeper into the tooth structure. The steel crowns aid the enamel in their protective purpose.

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