Space Maintenance For Baby Tooth Loss

Protecting Your Child’s Oral Health And Development

Ideally, your child should keep all of their baby teeth until they fall out naturally and are replaced by healthy adult teeth. But this doesn’t always happen. If your child loses a baby tooth early due to extensive decay, an accident, or any other type of tooth damage, they may need a space maintainer from Duck Duck Tooth Pediatric Dentistry to keep their oral health on track.

What Is A Space Maintainer And How Does It Work?

As the name suggests, a space maintainer is a small dental prosthesis that is designed to prevent nearby teeth from shifting toward the empty spot in your child’s mouth. This is a very common issue after tooth loss. When your child loses a tooth, the nearby teeth will move slightly as they try to fill in the gap.

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With a space maintainer, you can fill the space where your child’s baby tooth used to be, protecting it and preventing teeth from moving until their adult tooth emerges. There are two primary types of space maintainers:

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• Permanent space maintainers – These consist of a loop of metal and a metal band that attaches to a nearby tooth. These are not removable except by a dentist, and are durable enough to last until your child’s adult tooth begins to emerge.
  
  
• Removable space maintainers – This type of space maintainer is made from acrylic and/or metal, and can be removed by children to brush and floss. However, removable space maintainers can be easily lost or damaged by kids, so they're not always a great choice for every child.

Understanding The Importance Of Space Maintenance

If your child loses a baby tooth before it’s supposed to fall out naturally, it may not seem like a big deal. After all, baby teeth are supposed to fall out, right? Well, the answer is a little bit more complex.

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This is because the baby teeth form the “paths” that adult teeth will eventually take as they erupt. If your child loses a baby tooth before they're supposed to, this can cause serious issues with their oral development in the future. For example, if your child’s baby teeth start to shift, one of their adult teeth may not erupt properly, becoming “impacted” and partially stuck in the gums.

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Because of this, space maintenance is super important. With a space maintainer, you can ensure that your child maintains the proper gaps in their smile and that their adult teeth can emerge correctly. With early enough intervention, you can usually prevent the need for orthodontics and other complex treatments in the future, which also saves you time and money!

How Long Will My Child Need A Space Maintainer?

Once your child gets a space maintainer, they will need to keep it until their adult tooth begins to emerge. Depending on how early they lost their baby tooth, this could be anywhere from a few months to several years. 

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During your child’s routine dental visits with Dr. Vo at Duck Duck Tooth Pediatric Dentistry, she will keep an eye on your child’s oral development. She will perform visual exams and use X-rays to track the growth of your child’s adult tooth. Then, when their adult tooth is about to emerge, Dr. Vo will remove your child’s space maintainer to make sure the tooth has enough room to erupt properly into their mouth.

Explore Your Options At Duck Duck Tooth Pediatric Dentistry

If your child has lost one of their baby teeth early and you think that they may need a space maintainer in Lexington, MA, the team at Duck Duck Tooth Pediatric Dentistry can help. At your child’s first visit, Dr. Vo can determine if a space maintainer is necessary, help you choose between permanent and temporary options, and make sure your child’s oral development stays on track. Give us a call at (339) 970-2014 or contact us online to book your little one’s first visit with Dr. Michelle Vo today!