Baby teeth are supposed to fall out, but sometimes a child may lose a tooth before their adult teeth are ready to grow in. Space maintainers are placed in your child’s mouth to hold the “space” to ensure that their adult teeth will grow in properly.
What does a Space Maintainer do?
Space maintainers are devices used to leave enough space open for permanent teeth to grow in after baby teeth are lost prematurely. There are many reasons that lead to premature loss of baby teeth including, trauma, congenital defects, accidents, or decay.
Are Space Maintainers Really Necessary?
One important function of a baby tooth is to reserve space for the adult tooth. If the space left open by the loss of a tooth is not maintained, your child’s remaining teeth may begin to move and not leave enough room for the permanent tooth to come in. This may result in crooked, crowded, or misaligned teeth and may require orthodontic treatment to correct.