Does Your Child Need A Space Maintainer?

The answer is often YES. A space maintainer can significantly enhance your child’s oral health in the long term by supporting the healthy emergence of their permanent teeth. This small dental device, typically made of metal and custom-fitted to each patient’s mouth, is intended to preserve the gap between teeth after a baby tooth is lost.

Space maintainers ensure that a child’s primary teeth maintain their correct positions, facilitating the proper emergence and growth of their permanent teeth.

With the aid of these maintainers, your child’s permanent teeth can emerge normally, comfortably, and aesthetically, potentially saving you from expensive dental alignments in the future.

Why a Space Maintainer Might Be Necessary for Your Child

Not every child needs a space maintainer after losing a baby tooth. Generally, these devices are crucial when a child loses a tooth prematurely, before the development or eruption of the permanent replacement.

This loss can be due to cavities, injuries, or even natural occurrences. When a baby tooth falls out too early, the adjacent teeth may shift into the gap, obstructing the space for the permanent tooth. This can lead to crowding, misaligned bites, and impacted teeth.

Proactively ensuring space for the permanent teeth is often more manageable than trying to create space later. Depending on your child’s needs, their pediatric dentist may recommend one of four types of space maintainers:

• Unilateral Space Maintainer: Suitable for one side of the mouth, this maintainer wraps around an existing tooth, extending a metal loop into the space left by a missing tooth.
• Crown & Loop Space Maintainer: Similar to unilateral ones, but uses a dental crown over the natural tooth instead of wrapping around it.
• Lingual Space Maintainer: Ideal for multiple missing baby teeth, these are bonded to the molars’ interior and connected with a metal wire at the back of the lower teeth.
• Distal Shoe Space Maintainer: Implanted in the gum line to ensure space for the eruption of a permanent tooth, typically used for the first permanent molar.

Caring for Your Child’s Space Maintainer

Your child will need to wear their space maintainer only until their permanent teeth come in. However, maintenance is key. For removable maintainers, brush and floss regularly, and clean them with gentle dish soap and lukewarm water after removal.

For fixed space maintainers, regular brushing and flossing are essential, and your child’s pediatric dentist can instruct you on any specific techniques needed. Avoiding foods that are overly sweet, sticky, chewy, or hard is crucial to prevent damage to the device and cavities from trapped food.

Educating your child not to tamper with the maintainer is crucial for its effectiveness and longevity.

Final Thoughts

Utilizing dental space maintainers can greatly benefit your child’s oral health, preventing many potential issues. Relying on dental care professionals’ expertise, you can select the most suitable space maintainer to ensure optimal orthodontic treatment for your child.