Space maintainers can save your child's smile. They are specially designed to protect space for your child's permanent teeth when baby teeth are prematurely lost because of injury or decay. If a tooth is lost too soon, your dentist may suggest a space maintainer to prevent future dental problems.
What's the Problem if Baby Teeth Come Out Too Soon?
The primary teeth or baby teeth play an important role in your child's
developing mouth. They help in the normal development of the muscles and
jawbones. Primary teeth serve as natural space maintainers, holding the space
until the permanent teeth push them out. If baby teeth are lost too early, the
other teeth can drift into the vacant space. This might cause teeth to come in
crooked or unable to erupt into the gum, which leads to malocclusion, the improper
positioning of the teeth and jaws. It also can cause a permanent tooth to appear
prematurely, before what's best for a child's long-term dental health.
What Is a Space Maintainer?
It's a small device made of either plastic or metal and custom-fit to the child's mouth. It is a firmly fixed appliance, consisting of a band or
temporary crown attached to a tooth on one side of the empty tooth socket. A
wire loop or spring bridges the space to a tooth on the other side of the socket. Rarely, a dentist may make a removable space maintainer that is like a retainer or mouthguard.
How Does a Space Maintainer Help?
- Holds the empty space open, preventing movement of the other teeth, and gives the permanent tooth the needed time to take its natural position.
- May reduce or eliminate future orthodontic treatment.
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What Dental Care Is Required?
Good oral hygiene is important. The space maintainer should be kept clean and
teeth need to be brushed at least twice a day and flossed daily. Certain things
must be avoided with a space maintainer in place -- no sticky sweets, chewing gum,
or tugging on it with either fingers or the tongue.
Most children adjust within a few days to the new experience of a space
maintainer. It can dramatically make a difference in a child's dental health
and be worth any temporary discomfort or inconvenience.
by Brian J. Gray, DDS, MAGD, FICO
