Teeth Space Maintainers: Your Child’s Smile’s Best Friend

Does your child have teeth dropping, and you think nothing about it? This is when you must take care of your child’s oral hygiene by checking on decay and damaged teeth. The kids lose their baby teeth, leaving empty spaces that must be maintained well.

In this blog, we will share details about the teeth space maintainers that help after permanent teeth eruption in kids.

Palm Valley Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics offers expert kids’ dental consultation services. Contact us and book your kid’s first dental consultation for free. 

What is a Space Maintainer? 

A dental space maintainer for children is a device that helps keep the space left behind after missing premolars at an early stage.

The spacers can be easily made with acrylic material or metals. 

Teeth space maintainer cost depends on the type of the maintainer and the material used.

The sole function of a tooth space maintainer for a child is to prevent surrounding teeth from shifting to the spaces. 

What Do Space Maintainers Look Like?

Tooth space maintainers come with a fantastic feature that is customization. They are custom-made with acrylic or metal.

In addition, they come with rubber bands or metal springs for additional grip. The spacers for baby teeth have frequent use in orthodontia. Moreover, the spacers are removable and fixed. 

If your kid has a missing tooth in the front of the mouth, you can request your dentist to customize a space maintainer for front teeth. 

Types of Tooth Space Maintainer

Space maintainers have also evolved with the advancement in dental surgery and orthodontics. A variety of space maintainers are available depending on the different materials used.

Here, we share a few basic types of tooth space maintainers:

1: Unilateral space maintainers

Unilateral means the type of teeth space maintainer designed to fit on one side of the mouth. It completely wraps around the other teeth.

Additionally, these space maintainers come with a metal loop that extends into space left after tooth extraction or teeth dropping in babies. 

Furthermore, the unilateral maintainers have the following subtypes:

i: Band and loop:

This space maintainer type functions well by cementing a band to the second baby molar or first permanent molar. In addition, the loop helps contact the distal surface of nearby baby teeth. 

ii: Distal shoe:

Another type of unilateral space maintainer for children is the distal shoe, which aids in keeping the space open for a child’s unerupted permanent molars.

The spacer type is perfect for use on the first permanent molars. Additionally, they are inserted in the gum line to ensure enough space for permanent tooth eruption. 

2: Bilateral space maintainers

The bilateral maintainer’s design suits children who lose their baby teeth on both sides of their mouth. Further, this type of maintainer has subtypes that include: 

i: Lower lingual holding arch:

Using metal bands, the bilateral maintainers connect two baby molars on the lower jaw.

In addition, the wire runs behind the lower teeth and connects the bands to keep the molars from moving. This type of holder is beneficial in permanent teeth eruption properly.

ii: Nance holding arch:

Bilateral maintainer that helps handle the space in only the upper jaw by resting a button made with acrylic. Additionally, the spacers are set on the roof of the patient’s mouth. 

Why are Space Maintainers Important?

Space maintainers are needed for kids whose teeth drop in the early years of their life. Several complications can occur if your kid uses something other than space maintainers.

Custom-made spacers in kids help avoid several complications. The teeth maintainers help in the following causes: 

1: Dental trauma: 

During the early life stages, there are possibilities that children experience dental trauma for any reason.

The kids are in their growth and development phase and developing motor skills. Any upper or lower jaw injury can permanently cause baby teeth. 

If your child loses their teeth and experiences dental trauma, space maintainers aid in preventing the misalignment and overcrowding.

Additionally, consult with the dentist to get expert advice.

2: Premature tooth loss or extraction:

Baby teeth can quickly decay, damage, and be lost as they are not strong enough to bear the damage for long.

Moreover, the cavities in a child’s molars commonly occur due to fragile baby tooth enamel.

In such cases, the spacers for teeth after extraction help in premature loss of premolars. 

Tips to Take Care of Space Maintainers:

If your kid uses the space maintainers for any reason, they must take good care of them. To keep the maintainers for long, follow the following simple tips:

• Avoid giving sticky candies to your kids.
• Practice a proper dental hygiene regime that includes daily brushing and flossing.
• Help your kid learn how to use maintainers.
• Make your kid learn to avoid putting too much pressure on spacers.
• Visit your kid’s dentist every six months to learn about their progress. 

Final verdict: 

In summary, keeping up with your kid’s doctor about their oral hygiene and molars state is vital as a dentist can guide you better.

Start visiting the dentist when your kid starts losing their baby teeth. If you want kid’s orthodontics services, visit Palm Valley Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics and enjoy executive services. 

FAQs

Do space maintainers hurt?

Spacers are supposed to keep the teeth at their place in the early life years; they are easy to use and cause no pain. 

What age is a space maintainer for?

A space maintainer is perfect for kids who lost their premolars before the age of 7 years. 

What are the types of teeth space maintainers?

Two main types of space maintainers are unilateral and bilateral for kids.