A patient asked recently, “What is a space maintainer?”. I told him that this can be vital to your child’s dental health.
If your child loses a baby tooth early through decay or injury, the child’s other teeth could shift and begin to fill the vacant space. When your child’s permanent teeth emerge, there may not be enough room for them. The result is crooked or crowded teeth and difficulties with chewing or speaking.
To prevent that, your dentist can insert a space maintainer to hold the spot left by the lost tooth until the permanent tooth emerges. The space maintainer might be a band or a temporary crown attached to one side of the vacant space. Later, as the permanent tooth emerges, your dentist removes the device. And presto! Your child is ready for a lifetime of smiles.
Keep in mind that not every lost tooth requires a space maintainer. Depending on which tooth and where it is located in the mouth, your child may or may not need a space maintainer. Talk to your dentist about your individual situation.
Thank you for reading. I encourage you to leave questions or comments below. For more information on my practice, please visit www.elitesacramentodentist.com
Your friendly dentist,
Dr. Sarah Po
Sept. 1, 2010
Source: http://www.ada.org/3011.aspx?currentTab=1
