What is a space maintainer?
A space maintainer is a custom-made appliance fitted by a dentist, made of metal. The appliance is cemented on to your child’s tooth – this is termed a fixed appliance. The purpose of a space maintainer is to keep space open and available for the permanent successor tooth to erupt into its correct position, when a baby tooth is lost prematurely.
Why does my child need a space maintainer?
Early loss of deciduous teeth can sometimes cause delayed eruption of adult teeth, as well as lead to movement and tilting of adjacent teeth into the available space. This movement is problematic as it often blocks the normal eruption of the permanent tooth into its proper position, leading eventually to crooked teeth.
Are space maintainers always necessary?
Not every tooth that is lost early will require a space maintainer. If any of the four anterior front teeth are lost early, the space will stay open for the permanent teeth to erupt. It is more commonly required for posterior teeth. Space maintenance is not as critical for early loss of first primary molars as it is for second primary molars.
If the permanent successor tooth is close to coming through, we may decide that space maintenance is not required.
What is involved with making a space maintainer?
To make a custom fitted space maintainer, we will need to take a mould of your child's arch. This can be taken either before or after we extract the decayed/infected tooth. This mould is then sent to a laboratory and fabricated there. One week later, your child will return to our clinic, where we will cement the space maintainer on to the adjacent tooth.
Care for space maintainers and follow up
It is important that your child brushes their teeth regularly to keep their tooth decay free and to maintain healthy gums. If not, the gum tissue may grow over the space maintainer and causing infection.
If your child has a fixed space maintainer they will need to avoid eating very hard or sticky foods, as these can get caught in the wire or loosen the band.
Regular visits to the dentist are essential. We may take x-rays to ensure that no decay is occurring in between the teeth or to follow the progress of the incoming permanent tooth. When we can see that the permanent tooth is soon to erupt, the space maintainer will be ready to be removed.