a child smiling while undergoing a dental visit

Dental Crowns – Papillion, NE

Restoring Your Child’s Compromised Teeth

Has your little one told you that they’ve accidentally damaged one of their pearly whites? Have you noticed any signs of dental decay in their smile? Even if they still have their baby teeth, having one that is severely damaged or has a large cavity can be incredibly problematic to their oral health. That’s why our team offers pediatric dental crowns to restore the structure and strength of compromised teeth. Keep reading to learn more about this treatment or give us a call today to schedule an appointment for your child.

Why Choose Surf’s Up Pediatric Dentistry for Dental Crowns?

  • Durable & Natural-Looking Dental Materials
  • Completely Customized Treatment Plans for Every Patient
  • Insurance Accepted & Flexible Financing Available

What is a Dental Crown?

WHAT IS A DENTAL CROWN:

Dental crowns are personalized “caps” that are meant to cover the entire surface of a damaged or decayed tooth above the gum line. As one of the most well-known restorative treatments out there, you can expect our service to be versatile and tailored specifically to your child’s dental needs. We’re able to construct our dental crowns out of either zirconia or stainless steel—whichever choice is best for your little one.

In many cases, this restorative treatment will be recommended for patients struggling with:

  • A large area of dental decay
  • Chipped, cracked, or broken teeth
  • Weak enamel or dental structure
  • Dark dental stains or discoloration

We might even suggest providing your child a dental crown if they have just undergone other treatments, such as pulp therapy.

The Dental Crown Process

a child undergoing the dental crown process

It typically takes around a couple of appointments to complete this restorative treatment. Your child’s first visit will involve an initial consultation where we’ll evaluate their oral health and smile to determine if this restoration option is for them. If it is, we’ll prepare your little one for the procedure by first removing a tiny portion of their enamel so that the dental cap can fit perfectly on their affected tooth. We’ll take impressions of their smile and send them to a dental lab for construction. We’ll then place a temporary crown on their tooth for protection while they wait.

After we’ve received your little one’s crown, they’ll return to our office so we can bond it to their tooth. We’ll make sure to polish their restoration until it looks and feels perfect with their smile. Our team will give you instructions on how your child can maintain their results so that they can make the most of their improved bite for as long as possible.

The Benefits of Getting a Dental Crown

a child thinking and smiling with nice teeth

Whether your child gets a stainless steel or zirconia dental crown, they’ll be able to enjoy a wide set of advantages to their smile, including:

  • Preservation of weakened or compromised tooth
  • Natural-looking results (with zirconia crowns)
  • Improve the strength and structure of teeth
  • Durable results that can last a long time

Understanding the Cost of Dental Crowns 

closeup of young boy smiling

Are you considering dental crowns for your child’s smile? These dental caps not only protect your child’s teeth but also keep their smile looking great! However, you might be concerned about the cost of dental crowns for kids in Papillion. After all, they won’t help if they’re beyond your budget. The good news is that the cost varies depending on your child’s needs, so our pediatric dentists will provide a personalized estimate. At Surf’s Up Pediatric Dentistry, we’re dedicated to making your child’s dental care affordable.

Factors that Affect the Cost of Dental Crowns

child visiting dentist for checkup

During your child's consultation, our team will conduct an oral exam to assess various factors that influence the cost of treatment. These factors include:

  • Severity of Damage – The cost of a crown can vary depending on the condition of your child’s tooth. For minor damage, a crown may be all that’s needed. However, if the tooth is severely damaged, additional procedures like root canal therapy may be required, which can increase the overall cost.
  • Crown Material – Metal crowns may be less expensive, but they aren't ideal for a child's smile. We offer tooth-colored crowns made from high-quality porcelain, which are more aesthetically pleasing but also more costly.
  • Crown Fabrication Method – Traditional crowns are generally more affordable, while those made with advanced CEREC technology tend to be more expensive due to the precision and convenience they offer.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Crowns?

dental insurance form on table

Crown placement is an important procedure, especially for children, so it’s typically covered by dental insurance. In many cases, policies provide partial coverage, sometimes up to 50% of the treatment cost. However, there are exceptions. Your dental plan may have specific rules or might not cover crowns at all. Considering these possibilities, it’s essential to verify your benefits before proceeding with treatment.

Other Options for Making Dental Crowns Affordable

child smiling while pointing to teeth

Aside from insurance, there are several ways to make crowns more affordable for your child. Many dental practices offer convenient payment options that can fit within your budget. For example, our practice offers:

  • Medicaid – If your child is 12 or younger, they may be eligible for Medicaid, which can help cover the cost of their crown procedure.
  • Flexible Financing – We work with CareCredit, a trusted third-party lender, to provide low-interest, monthly installment plans for crowns.

Our goal is to ensure your child receives effective and affordable treatment. To explore these options further, schedule a consultation with us soon!

Dental Crown FAQs

What Are Dental Crowns Made Of?

We make use of two materials in our dental crowns: zirconia and stainless steel. Both substances have their merits, and which one you should choose for your child ultimately comes down to their unique needs.

Metal dental crowns obviously lack in aesthetics; there’s no chance that they could pass for a natural tooth. However, they tend to offer increased durability, making them ideal for the back teeth used for grinding up foods. Zirconia is much closer in color and texture to enamel, which means that they’re perfect for teeth that seen easily.

How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?

Everyone’s restoration is a little bit different, which means that you can generally expect your child’s dental crown to last anywhere from 5-15 years. This is likely to depend based on a few factors, like the material that your child’s dental crown is made out of; as we mentioned previously, metal crowns tend to last longer when compared to zirconia. There’s also the matter of where the dental crown is located in the mouth, with those on molars tending to fade first.

What’s arguably as important as both of these factors, however, is the quality of the patient’s dental hygiene. The better you child is able to take care of their restoration, the longer that they can expect it to last.

Does It Hurt to Get a Dental Crown?

As with fillings, or any other kind of procedure that involves any kind of potential discomfort, we will numb your tooth completely before working on your child’s dental crown. That being the case, you can expect the process of getting a dental crown to be completely painless.

That said, it is common for patients to be a little bit sore in the days after the dental crown is put in place. Be sure to stock up on OTC pain relievers and ensure that your child follows all of our guidelines regarding aftercare; this will ensure that their comfort throughout the duration of the procedure.

Are Dental Crowns Safe?

Dental crowns, whether metal or zirconia, are constructed from entirely non-toxic materials. The same is true for the adhesive used to put the restoration in place. For these reasons, you can expect the process of putting your dental crown in place to be completely safe for your child.

In some rare cases, patients might have a latent allergy to metals or zirconia that they are not aware of. While this is uncommon, it’s still worth being vigilant for signs of your child having an allergic reaction in the days after the procedure. Talk to us if you notice any symptoms and we’ll be able to address the issue.