Space maintainers

The dentist may require space maintainers if you lose a tooth early or have the primary tooth extracted because of dental decay. It is essential to know the advantages of using a space maintainer and how it can support your child’s dental health. A space maintainer is a tool that is custom-made by dental professionals using acrylic material. It is either removable or fastened in the mouth. Its objective is to maintain the space open to allow the permanent tooth to grow and come into place.

The baby teeth are important to the growth of the jaw bones, teeth, and muscles and it also helps to manage permanent teeth into position. If space is not kept then the teeth can go into open space and orthodontic medication may be needed. Not all children who lose baby teeth at an early age require space maintainers, but a consultation with your dentist should be done to know if using a space maintainer is needed.

Here are the types of space maintainers for children:

• Removable – This is similar to orthodontic tools and is usually made of metal. In some cases, an unnatural tooth may be used to fill a space that must be kept open for the unerupted tooth.

• Fixed – There are four kinds of fixed maintainers: crown and loop, unilateral, distal shoe and lingual.

Here at Sandalwood Dental Clinic, we offer space maintainers for those little smiles that require them. Our expert dentist will assure that the space maintainer is correctly placed. Contact us for more information regarding the process and the other benefits of space maintainer.