Pedo Crowns

Pedo Crowns

A heavily decayed baby tooth often cannot hold a filling, but it still needs to stay in place until it is naturally lost. A preformed crown covers the whole tooth and does that job. Two standard options sit here: stainless steel crowns for the molars that take the chewing load, and transparent strip crowns for rebuilding a broken front tooth. Both come ready-shaped, so the tooth is prepared and the crown fitted in a single visit, usually within paedodontics.

The two types

Pick by which tooth you are restoring:

• Stainless steel crowns (SSCs) — preformed metal caps for primary molars. Crimped to fit and cemented, they are the most durable full-coverage restoration for a back tooth.
• Transparent strip crowns — clear celluloid formers for front teeth. The former is filled with composite, seated on the prepared tooth, cured, then peeled away to leave a tooth-coloured crown.

SSCs win on strength; strip crowns win on appearance.

When each is used

Match the crown to the situation:

• After a pulpotomy — a molar treated with pulp therapy is usually capped with an SSC to seal and protect it.
• Gross decay on a molar — an SSC restores a tooth too broken for a filling.
• Broken or decayed front teeth — a strip crown rebuilds the tooth aesthetically with composite.
• High caries risk — full coverage guards the whole tooth better than a partial filling from the liner and base range.

Kits, refills, and sizing

How the stock is supplied:

• Kits — mini or molar kits give an assortment of sizes to cover most cases.
• Refills — size-specific packs (primary first/second, upper/lower molar) to restock the sizes you use most.
• Sizing — SSCs are numbered by tooth and size; pick the smallest crown that seats fully to the margin.

Underlying pulp therapy uses materials from the wider endodontics range.

What is a pedo crown?

It is a preformed crown used to cover and restore a primary (baby) tooth that is too decayed or broken for a filling. It fully caps the tooth, protecting it and keeping it in place until it is naturally shed. The two common kinds are stainless steel crowns for back teeth and transparent strip crowns, which are filled with composite to rebuild front teeth.

What is the difference between a stainless steel crown and a strip crown?

They suit different teeth. A stainless steel crown is a preformed metal cap crimped and cemented onto a primary molar — very durable and made for the chewing forces on back teeth. A transparent strip crown is a clear former filled with composite and cured on a front tooth, then peeled off to leave a tooth-coloured result. Metal for strength on molars, composite strip crowns for appearance up front.

When is a stainless steel crown needed instead of a filling?

An SSC is used when too much tooth is lost for a filling to hold, or after a pulpotomy or pulp treatment when the tooth needs full protection. It is also chosen for children at high decay risk, where full coverage lasts better than a partial restoration. If a simple filling would keep failing, a crown is the more reliable option.

How is a strip crown placed?

The tooth is prepared and a suitably sized clear former is chosen. The former is filled with composite, seated firmly on the tooth, and any excess removed. The composite is then light-cured through the clear crown, and once set the celluloid former is peeled away. What remains is a tooth-coloured crown bonded to the tooth, which is then trimmed and polished.

Do pedo crowns come in different sizes?

Yes. Both stainless steel and strip crowns are made in a range of sizes to match different teeth and children. They are sold as kits with an assortment of sizes and as size-specific refills, so you can stock the sizes you use most. Choosing the correct size matters — the crown should seat fully to the margin without being forced.