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slg161 · Jul 16, 2008, 09:57 AM

Does anyone know if it is possible to remove pediatric crows after they have been placed? Ideally, I would like to have the crowns that were recently placed on my son's front teeth (stainless with white fronts) replaced with strip crowns. My pediatric dentist did not use strip crowns, so he did the stainless steel. I am not happy with the results and am thinking of checking with some other pediatric dentists to see if they could be replaced with strip crowns. But... was not sure you can even remove a crown once it is on a tooth.

Anyone know for sure?

flossie · Jul 16, 2008, 02:41 PM

How old is your son? Those teeth will fall out when he is 5 or 6. I'm not sure what you mean by "strip" crowns. The type of crowns that your son has are typical of what most pedodontists use.

slg161 · Jul 16, 2008, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by slg161

Does anyone know if it is possible to remove pediatric crows after they have been placed? Ideally, I would like to have the crowns that were recently placed on my son's front teeth (stainless with white fronts) replaced with strip crowns. My pediatric dentist did not use strip crowns, so he did the stainless steel. I am not happy with the results and am thinking of checking with some other pediatric dentists to see if they could be replaced with strip crowns. But...was not sure you can even remove a crown once it is on a tooth.

Anyone know for sure?

My son will be 3 in August. The strip crowns that I read about online were clear crowns that are apparently filled with composite, placed on teeth and then the clear shell is removed. I have also read about pedo jackets, which I believe are white crowns. While neither of those would be as durable as the SS with white facing, I believe either would be more natural looking.

I know that my son will only keep these teeth for another 2 or 3 years, but if there is something I can do to improve the appearance of his teeth that will not put him through major discomfort, I would like to give it a try.

One other question... is it typical for there to be gaps between crowned teeth? My son did not have any space between his teeth, but the crowned teeth have spaced between them. This looks especially odd when he smiles, since his bottom teeth have no spaces.

flossie · Jul 17, 2008, 03:36 AM

The space between the two crowns makes it easier for you to keep them clean.
The problem of a composite type crown is the risk of them breaking with day to day wear (biting into foods like apples, carrots, etc). Also, the composite material is more porous and plaque will stick to it much easier than the smooth porcelain and stainless steel he has now.

I am guessing your son might have been had general anaesthetic to have this work done. If he did, you'd be putting him more at risk going under general again to have these crowns replaced and if he didn't, why would you want to put the poor little guy through having the work done all over again??

I am sure the crowns that are there now look a lot better than the dark, black areas that were there.

Remember that boys need parental help with brushing and flossing until they are 10-11 yrs old. For a 3 yr old mom and dad should be doing the bedtime brushing at all times. If his teeth are close together, you also need to floss his teeth every night.

slg161 · Jul 17, 2008, 05:34 AM

Flossie...

My son was not given GA for the procedure, rather was under conscious sedation. He did really well with that, which is the reason I am considering "re-work". I have seen pictures of children with very bad baby bottle decay. My son did not have that. The only decay that could be seen on his teeth were at the gumline on his top four teeth and it was not brown or discolored, it just looked like the enamel was missing. Unless he gave a great big smile, his teeth looked perfect. I guess that is the reason that this is so difficult for me. His teeth looked fine before he had the dental work.

flossie · Jul 17, 2008, 09:02 AM

From what you say, it seems pretty extreme that the dentist put the crowns on his teeth.
Did he inform you of this before the treatment was done? What was his reason for not just filling the teeth at the gumline?

I'd still be weary of giving your little guy conscious sedation again at this point.

slg161 · Jul 17, 2008, 07:44 PM

The dentist did say that he had decay on multiple surfaces of his teeth. I took that to mean that he had decay on the back and between the teeth, although I could not see it there. I did read that when there is decay on multiple surfaces that crowns are typically required, so I did not question the dentist's recommendation.

Are you aware of anything that can be done to easily close the gap between the two front crowns? And/or anything that can be done about the poor color match between the crowns and his real teeth?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

flossie · Jul 18, 2008, 05:37 AM

Have you discussed these concerns with the dentist? I'm thinking there isn't anything that can be done "easily". I'm sure if you are prepared to put your son through this again the dentist will try to do something to make you happy. There will probably be another fee for you.