Space Maintainers: What Are They and Why Would Your Child Need One?

Despite their temporal role in teeth development, the child’s primary teeth are crucial since they are placeholders for permanent teeth development. If your kid has lost teeth due to traumatic injuries, genetic conditions, or tooth decay at a tender age, visit Pediatric Dental Office in Greenwood for an orthodontic procedure with space maintainers and other procedures. The appliances are a viable option since premature tooth loss in childhood could lead to orthodontic problems in the future.

What’s A Space Maintainer?

A space maintainer refers to an orthodontic appliance that ensures your child’s teeth develop correctly. The prosthetics facilitate the child’s teeth to grow in the proper alignment and position. It resembles an adult’s dental bridge, but instead of replacing teeth, it preserves space between teeth once the child’s primary teeth fall.

They are custom-made from metal and are designed to fit perfectly in your child’s mouth. Space maintainers enable the permanent teeth to erupt normally. Also, the space maintainer dental near you maintains your dental aesthetics and ensures proper oral malocclusions and normal dental functionalities. The appliances alleviate most dental structures and oral imperfection, including misaligned teeth and overcrowded teeth development. The preventive procedure saves your child from undergoing extensive dental practices.

Types of Space Maintainers

Several types of appliances reserve the open tooth space until the tooth erupts from the gum line to replace the primary tooth that has fallen out. The devices are made of acrylic or metallic material and are removable or fixed. The space maintainers are customized to take the tooth’s shape while holding the space for the growing tooth. The following are some of the space maintainers:

Unilateral Space Maintainers: your kid’s dentist in Greenwood applies the prosthetic on one tooth. A section of the appliance covers the side of your child’s tooth and safeguards it, and is attached to a metal loop to maintain space in the mouth.

Distal Shoe: It’s used to secure the gap for the growth of an adult molar tooth that hasn’t erupted. Having distal shoe space maintainers may be complex since they are inserted into your gum line to seal the space before closure.

Crown and Loop: The Space maintainer dental near you incorporates a dental crown to cover your tooth and a loop to maintain space.

Lingual Space Maintainer: The device is applied to your child if they have lost multiple teeth. The prosthetic sides are attached to the molars and can serve bilaterally.

At Kids First Dental, our experts examine your dental and determine the ideal type of space maintainer for you. Your gum tissues and other aspects are some of the vital considerations during your procedure.

Wearing the Space Maintainer

Fixed space maintainers are cemented to the child’s tooth adjacent to the gap. Removable space maintainers made from acrylic material are suitable for older children who can properly maintain their dental cleaning routine. Unilateral and bilateral space maintainers fit on one side or both sides of the tooth gap. The kid’s dentist near you may recommend your child to have space maintainers based on their dental status, the number of missing teeth, and the location of the affected teeth.

Reasons for Getting A Space Maintainer

Our Kids dentist in Greenwood may not recommend space maintainers for all kids whose teeth fall off. The appliance is suitable for a child who loses a tooth before developing a permanent tooth that’s about to erupt. Failure to have space for the growth of permanent teeth may cause overcrowding, impacted teeth, and bite problems for your child; other complications include:

• Speech impediments
• Misaligned bites
• Crooked or overcrowded permanent teeth
• Lack of space for the growth of permanent teeth
• Risk of developing impacted teeth

How to Preserve Space Maintainers

Dr. Salvatore Livreri recommends you follow the preventive tips below to keep space maintainers safe:

• Ensure your child follows a suitable oral hygiene regimen to safeguard space maintainers from decay.
• Let your child avoid thumb sucking and pressing the space maintainers with objects or fingers. Slight damage to the pace maintainers could lead to severe changes in teeth development.
• Your child should avoid taking sticky or hard foods like candy, gum, or caramel. If sticky food debris remains on the space maintainers, decay might occur.
• Schedule regular dental visits for exams on space maintainers with the kid’s dentist near you

Specialists at our Pediatric Dental Office in Greenwood can enlighten you on space maintainers and discern whether your child is eligible for them. If your child has lost teeth from cavities or traumatic injuries, our specialists can provide preventive care and ensure permanent teeth grow normally.