Space maintainers are custom-made to fit each child's unique dental structure?
The first step in getting space maintainers involves evaluating your child’s oral health by conducting tests and taking x-rays to determine the cause of premature tooth loss and address it. They’ll also determine whether a space maintainer is necessary. If so, the dentist will use a putty-like substance to take impressions of your child’s teeth.
Our Middleton pediatric dentist will select the best type of space maintainer for your child based on the findings from the initial evaluation. Types of space maintainers include band-and-loop, crown-and-loop, and removable maintainers, among others. After selecting the best type for your child, the dentist will send the impression mold to a lab to manufacture your child’s maintainers.
The lab usually takes two to three weeks to manufacture the space maintainers depending on the type. After fabrication, the dentist will schedule an appointment to fit and place the space maintainer in your child’s teeth. Placement involves checking its fit, then cementing it to the adjacent teeth with dental cement.
Once the space maintainers are in place, the dentist will give you instructions for caring for your child’s space maintainers. The instructions will guide you on how to maintain your child’s oral health with the space maintainers and what foods your child should eat and avoid. The dentist will also schedule follow-up appointments to check the progress of the treatment.
Space maintainers are often recommended for children to avoid more extensive orthodontic treatments later on?
Your child would need a space maintainer for many reasons, but the most common one is to fill the void left by baby teeth that have fallen out prematurely. Teeth adjacent to the gap might close in on it and cause problems to emerging adult teeth.
Sometimes maintainers also form part of certain orthodontic treatments. For instance, the maintainers may guide the eruption of emerging adult teeth while creating space for crowded teeth to space out.
No, a space maintainer is a temporary device that your child only needs until the adult teeth start to emerge. The dentist will advise you on the timing of the removal, and frequent dental appointments will check the treatment’s progress. Premature removal of the maintainers may lead to problems further down the line.
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