The sight of a young child with a missing tooth is common, but what happens when a baby tooth comes out too soon? Baby teeth serve an important function in the development of adult teeth and the entire structure of the jaw. If your child has lost a baby tooth before its time, pediatric space maintainers may be the solution for healthy oral development.
What is a space maintainer?
A space maintainer is a dental appliance that can replace a missing baby tooth that is lost prematurely due to an accident or decay. When children lose teeth before their permanent teeth are ready to erupt, existing baby teeth shift to fill the space. If a shift does not occur, permanent teeth may erupt at an angle. This can block other permanent teeth from erupting when and where they should.
Additionally, a dental space maintainer allows the muscles and bones of the jaw to develop normally. Chewing on teeth stimulates bone growth and proper muscle development in the jaw. If teeth are missing, adult teeth may be delayed, and the bones and muscles of the jaw may be weak.
Essentially, pediatric space maintainers “save a seat” for adult teeth when they are ready to erupt.
What are the different types of space maintainers?
There are two types of space maintainers:
- Removable
- Fixed
Removable
This type of dental space maintainer is an orthodontic appliance usually made of acrylic.
An artificial tooth is attached to a frame that snaps into place. This is similar to a partial denture or a flipper tooth.
Fixed
Fixed space maintainers are a more complicated type of retainer, with four different kinds of space maintainers in this category:
- Unilateral
- Crown and loop
- Distal
- Lingual
Both the unilateral and crown and loop space maintainers are used to open space for one tooth on just one side of the mouth. These use a metal loop to keep the space open, with the crown and loop space maintainer affixing an actual crown to the loop. This can be used to hold space for all of the teeth (but usually not molars).
The distal space maintainer is what dentists turn to for an unerupted first permanent molar tooth. This space maintainer requires that the end of the space maintainer be inserted into the gumline to keep the space open. Your dentist monitors the progress of the molar’s eruption. They’ll make sure it fits into the preserved space as it erupts.
Finally, the lingual dental space maintainer can hold space for more than one tooth and is cemented to the molars. A wire inside the lower front teeth connects to the cemented molars.
How to care for dental space maintainers
The average life span of a dental space maintainer is generally around seven months. This is the same whether the spacers are removable or fixed.
To increase the longevity of a space maintainer, it is important to take the following precautions.
- Avoid sticky, chewy, or sugary foods: These foods can get caught on the space maintainer and pull it loose
- Brush and floss properly: Brushing and flossing the teeth and gums around the space maintainer is crucial to prevent decay
- Leave it alone: Do not push up on the space maintainer with your tongue or play with it with your fingers
Visit your dentist regularly to check the stability of the dental space maintainer and the progress of the permanent teeth below it.
Are dental spacers necessary?
Dental spacers are necessary when a baby tooth is lost due to decay or accident and the permanent tooth shows no signs of erupting. They are kept in place until the permanent tooth begins to peek out from the gumline, at which point they are then removed.
A space maintainer is not always necessary when a child loses a baby tooth prematurely. Your dentist will examine your child’s gums carefully to see if there is evidence of eruption. X-rays can help here, too.
If they feel that a permanent tooth eruption is imminent, they may decide to forgo space maintainers. An X-ray that shows a well-developed permanent tooth root and a tooth crown just below the gumline indicates that a dental spacer is probably not needed.
If a dental spacer is placed and the tooth begins to erupt, removal is simple and does not usually require anesthetic. The wires are pulled from the teeth and whatever bands are cemented into place are pulled off.
Do space maintainers hurt?
As adults we may not remember what it was like to be a child. We do not always know how or why a child feels pain – only that they feel it. As teeth erupt, sore gums and outright painful inflammation can occur. Additionally, there are noises and sensations that the youngest patients may be anxious about.
In the case of the distal shoe space maintainer, inserting a wire into a gum has the potential to be mildly painful. By working with a highly-trained family dentist, they’ll be able to suggest ways to reduce pain or fear before the procedure.
Space maintainers may not seem like a big deal for us, but for kids, the odd feeling of having these in their mouth can be scary. They may call this unusual feeling “pain,” and it is our job to support them and help them understand that eventually they will not even notice the space maintainers are there.
At AZ Dentist, our compassionate and experienced dentists are patient and ready to take our time during this procedure. We are happy to answer questions from both parents and their children, explaining the procedure and reassuring when needed. We work hard to make the youngest members of our Phoenix area family dentist comfortable, healthy, and happy.
If your child has lost a tooth prematurely, get in touch today for a complete evaluation.