Stainless steel crowns

The hall technique

The all technique involves fitting stainless steel crowns over baby teeth with holes and cementing them in place until the tooth falls out naturally.

No injection is needed as decay or sections of tooth are not removed before a crown is fitted.

The Hall technique simply involves slipping a metal crown over the decaying tooth and cementing it into position onto the tooth. Researchers who developed this technique believe the decay probably stops because it is starved of bacteria and oxygen, but it is almost certainly slowed down.

Crowns

Stainless steel crowns are placed on some baby teeth to strengthen and protect the tooth if:

• the tooth has had root canal treatment (Pulpotomy)
• if there is too little tooth left after all decay has been removed to place a strong enough filling
• hypoplastic teeth – where the enamel has not developed properly, and the teeth are weaker
• a child with a high decay rate. The crown is the strongest material and helps seal the tooth from bacteria

These crowns are cemented onto the tooth and naturally come out with the tooth. They still need to be cleaned and flossed properly to prevent plaque build-up. Occasionally, a crown may come off (especially with trauma or if a very hard sticky food is eaten) or develop an abscess around it – so regular reviews and care are necessary.

Silver preformed crowns

Silver alloy preformed crowns are recommended by specialist in children's dentistry for the management of baby teeth with moderate to advanced holes / tooth decay. There is evidence that crowns may last longer than fillings for these teeth.