Stainless steel crowns are most frequently used to restore posterior teeth of children. They are bulky and generally do not fit the tooth very well. They are pre fabricated and need to be trimmed before being fixed. These prefabricated crowns are relatively inexpensive and fairly quick to place, and because of the nature of baby tooth enamel, are more permanent than a regular filling would be. Large fillings in baby teeth do not stand up very well to long term wear. Stainless steel crowns are frequently placed on teeth that have had pulpotomies as well, because by the time a baby tooth needs a pulpotomy, the damage to the crown is so severe that only a stainless steel crown is likely to remain intact for the life of the tooth.

Fillings are adequate for back baby teeth if the decay is not too extensive or too close to the nerve. They are not adequate for teeth which have large or multiple fillings, have decay so close to the nerve that removal of all the decay would expose the nerve, or for any baby tooth in which the nerve has been removed

Stainless steel crowns can be used on virtually any baby tooth, but are best reserved for situations in which the finished filling will take up more than half of the baby tooth, the decay is very close to the nerve, and or if the nerve has been removed. It is possible to place a stainless steel crown over a baby tooth leaving a small amount of decay in place to avoid killing the nerve. The decay generally stops once the crown is placed. Large fillings on baby teeth do not work well because of the nature of the anatomy of the teeth and also because children tend to grind their teeth naturally, and large fillings may not be adequately retained under this type of stress. It is always best to place a stainless steel crown on all baby teeth which have had pulpotomies because these teeth tend to be brittle and are likely to break, especially in children's' mouths since they tend to grind their teeth mercilessly