Often times when a cavity gets very large it is hard to retain a filling in the tooth due to the extensive loss of tooth structure. One of the most important goals of pediatric dental treatment is to retain baby teeth in order to help with spacing for when the adult teeth erupt. Because we want to maintain as many baby teeth as possible until the adult teeth do erupt, we will often use a stainless steel crown to help preserve a baby tooth that has been severely broken-down and can no longer hold a traditional filling.
A stainless steel crown is a metal cap that is placed over the entire tooth, and it provides comfort for the patient, as well as protection and durability for the tooth. We want our patients to continue to enjoy eating without (their parents) having to worry about breaking a filling.
