My husband took my daughter, almost 5, to the dentist for a cleaning today. She has a small cavity and then a bad one on one of her molars. The dentist told him that it could just be filled but it probably would not last since kids don't tend to pay attention to how they eat--chew on one side more etc. She does not need a root canal or anything like that. Have any of you had this done? About how much did it cost? I do have insurance but my cost is 50%. I will ask the dentist to request a pre determination from the insurance so I can get an idea what I would end up paying. However, that will take a while and thought I would ask what you guys have paid so I have an idea. Also, is the crown white or metal? I looked on line and everything I see indicates it would just be a "pretty silver crown". The dentist told my husband it is called a princess crown.
We do brush teeth every day. Though getting daddy to properly brush in the afternoon after lunch is hard. Maybe he will be more on the ball now. I do want to add that it is not always due to brushing. My little bro did not brush his teeth when we were little and I was nuts about it--afraid to get another cavity. And I was the one that alway got them, he got his first when he was 10. Thre is a congential thing that can result in more cavities though I cannot remember what it is called. I learned this from a dentist a long time ago.
Thanks to everyone that has responded. I totally agree it is very important to brush and floss, especially with my own history. There is no question that she will get this taken care of and get the crown since the tooth will not come out until she is 10 or 12 and I prefer it stays there until it does. I am just trying to figure out how much this will cost. Even if you had no insurance since I could then kind of estimate it.
It's not as expensive as it is for an adult tooth.
It's about the same cost as a filling.
But the crown will preserve the baby tooth (keep if from breaking apart) and that will keep the other teeth from shifting position.
http://thetoothtruth.com/crowns-on-baby-teeth/2009/10/09/
http://www.babytoothcenter.com/dental-services/dental-fil...
They put the silver crowns on to protect the tooth from further decay until it comes out naturally (depending on the tooth that could be a couple years). If they were to pull it to early, her other teeth could move around and then when the adult tooth tries to come it, it could cause problems. My daughter had one and my son had a couple. No big deal. As far as cost goes, you need to check insurance and the dentist. Its much cheaper for a toothbrush, toothpaste and using them consistantly daily than paying for major dental work later. lol Good luck!
if you don't protect the baby tooth-the permanent tooth (bud)underneath-yes, it's already there, will rot, as well. Get a white crown if that's an option. What ever the cost, it will be worth it. Focus on what caused this-out of five children I think one of them got a cavity-and none of them drank fluoridated water. Your little girl may need a different toothbrush or toothpaste??? Or she may need to "brush up" on her technique! Good luck!
My daughter had one. Probably at about that same age.
Ditto MzKitty below.
That is why my daughter got one.
It was fine.
Her's was silver.
No biggie.
Our insurance covered it I think.
They crown baby teeth all the time, it's pretty normal, because if you pull the tooth, then you will have a gap for possibly 5 years, which will cause the teeth on either side to lean in. Hence you will have to have a bridge or a flipper - way more expensive than a crown. The crowns for baby teeth are usually stainless steel, they are not anything like an adult crown, they are not custom made or anything, they are "off the shelf" so to speak. They just choose the closest size and crimp it on. Obviously the cavity is of a sufficient size that filling it is no longer an option. Cost without insurance will be around 500, with will be half that.
You probably need to get your child on some sort of fluoride therapy, even rinsing with barbie mouthwash is a good thing. I get my kids to rinse with fluoride mouthwash every night.
I took all 3 of my children to various pediatric dentists over the years and I don't recall them filling too many teeth because they said they'll just be falling out anyway. I would definitely get a second opinion before spending a lot of money and putting your child through the pain. Good luck!
Good advice here already, and also, if she's prone to cavities, you can also look into having the molars (the remaining ones, anyway) sealed. It may be out-of-pocket or your insurance may cover it, but in any case it's much cheaper and easier than paying for more fillings or crowns down the road.
I encourage you to get a second opinion. This is very very aggressive.( It can be filled and when it falls out (and the filling will most likely fall out) you have it patched up. Please inform yourself on the risks with metal caps. Allergies to the Nickle in the steel, infection, risks from heavy metals in the blood stream and more. If it is neccesary then you may need to go down this path but please see another pediatric dentist first. Also, brushing may be incidental. If your child has any level of enamel hypoplasia then cavities are inevitable. Ask your dentist about MI paste to harden the enamel. Best to you and your little one.
My son got a couple of crowns when he was young, also..... he also had to have a baby root canal, and that wasn't that big of a deal.
I would advise getting the crown... baby molars don't fall out very early, and you want to be sure to properly preserve the space. (The first baby molar usually falls out around 10 years old, I think...)
I don't remember how much it cost, (this was probably 15 years ago...) but it wasn't that big of a deal to get it done. They are pre-made, so it isn't like having to go for 2 appointments like an adult crown. It will last longer and better than just a filling.
I would watch out for "sticky" snacks.... although raisins are fairly healthy, they are very sticky and leave residue on the teeth that can be hard to get rid of.
Don't get the crown. Just have him fill it. I did this with my older son, mom. He had 4 molars that didn't have enough enamel - soft teeth, if you will. Sealants wouldn't even stick because there wasn't enough enamel. We had fillings done a few times. The fillings preserved these teeth until they fell out on their own.
Crowns for children are really not necessary at this point. They are a lot of work, they break, they aren't individually sized like adult crowns are, and they are very expensive.
Just get the filling done.
That said, is your child getting fluoride in her water? Check your municipality and see. If you have bottled water in the house, she isn't for sure. Fluoride supplements can make a big difference in whether or not she has a mouthful of fillings. If you didn't get fluroide when you were little, that could be part of the reason why you had so many cavities, along with the genetic disposition.
I have fillings and crowns and porcelain inlays galore in my mouth. No fluroide in the water when I was little. My parents too. My kids? I got the fluoride supplements and they don't have ANY cavities at all in any of their adult teeth. None. The only cavities my older son had were the soft teeth, which were thankfully replaced with healthy adult teeth. My younger son had one small cavity one time in a baby tooth that the doctor didn't even have to use novacaine to remove.
Make sure of your water and get her supplements if you don't have it. And don't bother with the crown.
Good luck!
Dawn
