Small cavities in primary teeth can be repaired with fillings, because after we remove the decayed part of the tooth, there's still plenty of remaining natural tooth structure. However, when a primary tooth has a large cavity, there may not be enough tooth structure left to place a filling. For this reason, we use crowns to repair large cavities in primary teeth. A crown covers a damaged tooth to strengthen and protect it.

Crowns for adult teeth are fabricated in a dental lab and are made of porcelain, metal and porcelain, or gold. Crowns for children's primary teeth are most often pre-made of stainless steel, and can be adapted to your child's tooth and cemented in place in only one appointment. They are relatively easy for children to take care of, and are much less expensive than adult crowns.

We want the entire procedure to be comfortable for your child, so the first thing we do is thoroughly numb the tooth and surrounding area. Then we use the handpiece to remove any decay and shape the tooth. We select a crown, shape it, and adjust it until it fits the tooth precisely. We then cement the crown in place. To complete the procedure, we doublecheck both your child's bite and the fit of the new stainless steel crown.