My son’s a champion grinder too—if teeth grinding was an Olympic sport, he’d have gold. We went zirconia after his porcelain crown cracked (yep, that happened). I worried about the hardness thing, but honestly, the dentist said it’s more about how the bite lines up. Night guard? Tried it. Lasted about two nights before it became a “chew toy.” No visible wear yet, but I’m keeping an eye out… and maybe budgeting for orthodontics down the road. Kids’ teeth are wild.
Zirconia seems to be the way to go for grinders, at least from what I’ve seen with my daughter. Porcelain looked great but chipped after a year—felt like money down the drain. We switched to zirconia, and yeah, it’s tougher, but I totally get the worry about it being “too hard.” Our dentist mentioned bite alignment too, which made sense. Night guards didn’t last here either...my kid just gnawed right through. Dental bills are no joke, so I’m hoping this crown holds up a while before we need to think about braces or more repairs.
I hear you on the zirconia being tough, but I’ve actually had a different experience with porcelain crowns. My oldest grinds her teeth too, and we went with a layered porcelain crown after discussing options with our dentist. It’s true they’re not as strong as zirconia, but the dentist adjusted her bite and that made a big difference. The crown’s lasted almost three years now—no chipping so far. Maybe it depends on the lab or how it’s fitted? I get why people lean toward zirconia, especially for kids who are hard on their teeth, but sometimes the “too hard” thing can cause wear on opposing teeth. It’s a tricky balance...
We went through this debate too. My kid’s dentist was all about zirconia at first, but I worried about it being “too tough” for his little teeth. We ended up with porcelain and, knock on wood, it’s holding up fine after two years. I do wonder if some of it comes down to the dentist’s skills or maybe how wild your kiddo is with snacks... Either way, nothing’s bulletproof when you have a mini jaw-clencher at home.
I get what you mean about worrying if zirconia’s a bit much for kids’ teeth. My youngest is a grinder too, and I was torn between the two options. We went with zirconia after talking it over with our dentist, mostly because my kid had already cracked a baby crown before. Two years in, it’s still looking solid—though honestly, I think half of it comes down to how careful the dentist is when fitting it. Snack habits definitely don’t help either...
