Space Maintainers

Protect Your Child’s Healthy Smile, Care Early

What do you think happens if a child loses a temporary tooth earlier? The loss of baby teeth earlier creates space, which can cause crowding, misalignment & bite problems shortly. For protecting that space, space maintainers offer a guiding solution for your child’s smile, promoting natural development.

A Space Maintainer is a different type of dental device, designed with a mechanism to keep the gap safe or open when the primary tooth is lost prematurely. It enables the safe & precise eruption of a permanent tooth in its original place, maintaining healthy alignment & dental arch. Our team of trained pediatric dentists integrates precision methods & modern scientific technology to shape custom-fit maintainers that are durable, effective & comfortable.

Features of Space Maintainers

Maintainers are essential to preserve the dental alignment of your child when they lose a baby tooth. These maintaining devices ensure precise spacing & provide support to permanent teeth as they grow into their perfect positions.

Encourage accurate bite growth
Preventing teeth from moving towards gaps
Lesser chances of overcrowding
Preserves natural facial harmony & structure
Prevent orthodontic treatment in the future

How are space maintainers essential?

Space maintainers are necessary when a child has a space in their mouth due to the unexpected loss of a baby tooth. Without teeth in place, surrounding teeth may tilt or shift into the space, causing misalignment & incorrect bite matters. Using maintainers protects & manages natural spacing, enabling permanent teeth to develop in their precise positions while reducing the requirement of intricate dental treatment in the future.

Highlights of Space maintainers

Support correct alignment of permanent teeth
Save drifting of nearby teeth into the space
Guide precise jaw growth & correct bite
Prevent crooked teeth or overcrowding
Maintain complete dental health & facial balance
Reduce the possibility of high-priced orthodontic solutions later

Frequently Asked Questions

Define space maintainers & what is the purpose of using them?

The space maintainers are tailor-made dental gadgets, intended to retain space after the loss of a baby tooth too early. Maintainers function by preventing adjacent teeth from moving into the space, leading mature teeth to grow accurately into their actual places. With proper gap maintenance, it decreases the risk of many orthodontic problems, including overcrowding, misalignment, and more, ensuring correct & smoother dental growth. It also helps avoid complicated dental treatments by delivering the best results.

At what age could a child need space maintainer?

The kids may require space maintainers during the mixed dentition stage, which commonly takes place in the age bracket of 6 to 12 years. It is the stage of dentition development in which both temporary & permanent teeth are mixed in the dental frame. While the primary tooth has fallen because of trauma, decay, or extraction, the maintainer assists in keeping the space open until the mature tooth emerges, guaranteeing natural teeth straighten with proper growth of the jaw.

What is the time duration that kids have to wear space maintainers?

However, the timeline is mainly based on the speed & readiness of the mature tooth eruption process. Usually, kids keep space maintainers for many months & sometimes for years. During routine checkups, dentists commonly monitor tooth eruption & immediately remove the maintainer when it’s served its purpose. The dentist recommends wearing it for the instructed period as it is essential to prevent moving teeth & maintain the finest alignment for the kid’s growing smile.

Do space maintainers cause any type of pain or discomfort for children?

Primarily, children can experience minimal discomfort & feel the presence of the device, similar to wearing an aligner & braces. The maintainers require measured adjustments that often are comfortable & unobtrusive. Maintainer is formed to fit accurately by utilizing safe & smooth materials to avoid irritation or discomfort. Routine in-clinic visits for routine dental monitoring ensure the maintainer stays well-functioning in perfect shape, allowing your kids to continue their playing activities, eating, and speaking without any substantial intrusion or long-lasting discomfort.

How many types of maintainers are available & how are they prepared?

Two common versions of space maintainers are detachable & fixed maintainers. Fixed ones are attached in the right area for better stability and longevity, as the name states, detachable devices can be removed for maintenance, although it could require patient cooperation.

– The suitability of the maintainer type for the patient is determined by considering factors like the child’s age, location of gap or missing tooth, or dentist recommendation. Both versions are precisely customized for a perfect, comfortable fit, offering similar functionality & effectiveness through guiding mature teeth into the perfect place.

– After thorough assessment and taking digital impressions of the kid’s mouth, the space maintainer is custom-prepared with the help of impressions by using best quality, sturdy, biocompatible & child-safe materials. Later, the maintainer is fixed & adjusted for better functionality & comfort.

– The dentist offers a complete guide for maintenance, care, & follow-up appointments for the safest treatment experience, ensuring the dental device performs properly until the mature tooth erupts.

Are space maintainers easy to maintain & clean?

Regular maintenance is essential, as consistent care & cleaning help to prevent gum irritation, plaque accumulation, or tooth decay. Maintaining a fixed maintainer is not that hard, brushing and flossing around the device is crucial, and utilizing specific floss threaders sometimes can be a big help. Detachable maintainers are easy to clean, remove, and & rinse properly before reinstallation. If you maintain excellent dental hygiene & regularly attend dental checkups, your child’s maintainers will remain safe & effective, also keep your kid’s mouth healthy during the overall treatment.