Stainless steel crowns (SSCs) were introduced to pediatric dentistry in 1950. They are the treatment of choice for severely destroyed deciduous teeth. These crowns are much better than large multi-surface amalgam or tooth-colored restorations and have longer clinical life. When a large proportion of the coronal tooth structure is lost due to dental caries or the tooth has undergone root canal treatment, the best choice to preserve the tooth is to use SSCs. They are prefabricated, are made of stainless steel, and do not need an impression-taking procedure.
Some parents have concerns about the unesthetic appearance of these crowns and are not very interested in them. In contrast, many children love these crowns and are interested in having iron teeth (like the Iron Man).
Recently, tooth-colored crowns have been introduced for deciduous teeth. However, they are expensive, and their retention and longevity are not as good as SSCs. Restoration of deciduous teeth with extensive carious lesions until the eruption of succedaneous permanent teeth
The indications for these crowns include:
- Restoration of deciduous teeth with extensive carious lesions until the eruption of succedaneous teeth
- Temporary crowns for young permanent teeth with extensive carious lesions until the end of the maturation period (18 years of age)
- Restoration of deciduous teeth after pulpotomy and root canal therapy procedures
- Restoration of teeth with congenital and hereditary anomalies
- Restoration of carious deciduous teeth in children who require general anesthesia for dental procedures
Important considerations about SSCs for deciduous teeth that parents should be aware of:
- The time required for root canal therapy and placing an SSC on a deciduous tooth is only 10-15 minutes.
- The child should avoid eating food for at least 30 minutes.
- After treatment, the gingival tissues around the crown will be inflamed for a few days. Therefore, it is necessary to observe oral hygiene instructions and brush the teeth. In addition, the interfacial area between the crown and the gingival tissues should be properly massaged and cleaned with a toothbrush so that the inflammation of the gingival tissues will be resolved.
- Sticky chocolates and toffees are the enemies of these crowns and can detach them. Therefore, to decrease the caries rate and preserve these crowns, it is advisable to avoid toffees as much as possible.
- In some cases, the SSC might become loose and detach from the tooth, which might mainly occur while eating sticky foods. There is no need to get worried in such cases. The crown and the child should be taken to the dentist’s office for re-attaching the crown. If the crown is swallowed, there will be no problems, and it will be defecated in the stool.
- When permanent teeth erupt, the crown will become loose along with the deciduous tooth, and if it does not loosen, it can easily be removed by a dentist.
