Space maintainers are used to keep a baby or childs teeth straight as permanent teeth come in. They are often necessary because the timing of the emergence of a permanent tooth may not always be synchronized with the loss of a baby tooth.
As a result, gaps form in the smile that has to be dealt with in order to keep teeth from growing out of alignment.
Under normal circumstances, a permanent tooth comes in right under a baby tooth. As it pushes out, the roots of the baby tooth actually dissolve. This loosens the baby tooth, which in turn falls out. The permanent tooth then emerges in its place. So long as this process occurs in this sequence, teeth grow in healthy and straight.
However, if a baby tooth is lost because of cavities or an accident, then a permanent tooth will not be ready to take its place. A space maintainer will have to be placed in the resulting gap between adjacent baby teeth.
This is the only way to keep them straight. Otherwise, they will tend to shift together, which will make them look obviously misaligned, and will also cause a loss of space in the dental arch.
A space maintainer will prevent this loss of arch space from happening. The space maintainer is made custom to the childs mouth, and normally cemented into place. However, some space maintainers are removable so children can take them out on an as need basis.
In most instances, it requires two visits to a dentist to make a space maintainer for a child.
During the first appointment, dentists will conduct a general check on the condition of a childs teeth to make certain no other serious problems exist.
Since children this age are very prone to tooth decay, it is important to make sure no forming cavities go unnoticed and untreated. The alignment of the childs teeth is also checked, and then orthodontic bands are carefully placed over the teeth.
The dentist will then take an impression of the teeth on both the bottom and the top of the mouth. This allows the dental laboratory to make an exact duplicate of a childs mouth.
Lab technicians will then custom manufacture the space maintainer to precisely match both the teeth and the exact contours of the mouth itself.
It will take anywhere from a few days to over a week to complete the manufacture of the space maintainer. Once it is ready, the child will come back into the office to try the device on.
If it proves a successful fit, it will be cemented in place. Again, there may be some instances where the device will be custom made to act as a removable device.
Space maintainers have to be used until the permanent teeth begin emerging from below the gum line. Children with space maintainers must make sure to avoid gum chewing, candies, and hard foods that can possibly break or damage the device. Chewing on ice is out of the question.
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