What is the Importance of Space Maintainers?

There are instances where young children end up losing baby teeth sooner than they should. The importance of space maintainers is that it is one of the best ways to make sure that proper space is maintained between existing teeth, so that when permanent teeth emerge, they are straight. Space maintainers can be made of everything from metal to acrylic as well as other materials. The main focus of this dental appliance is to make sure that teeth do not move when one or more baby teeth have gone missing prematurely. 

Keeping Proper Spacing Between Teeth 

Keeping teeth in the right position is always the main goal of using space maintainers. Absent space maintainers, emerging teeth could come in crooked while existing teeth could also shift and move. By keeping proper spacing between teeth, children will grow up with straight and attractive teeth as well as a beautiful smile. Different types of maintainers are used in different ways. For example, some can be temporary in nature while others are cemented permanently to surrounding teeth. Either way, achieving the goal of keeping teeth straight and growing in normally is always very important. 

Crown and Loop 

There are the space maintainers known as unilateral. This type of appliance is designed to keep proper spacing for a single missing tooth. One side is secured around a tooth, so it does not shift while the other side incorporates a metal loop to keep proper spacing. In addition, something known as a crown and loop is a type of space maintainer that is similar to a unilateral one except that it uses a metal loop that is attached to a crown. There is also a distal shoe maintainer that is intended to address the same issue but with molars. 

Useful in The Case Where There Are Multiple Missing Teeth 

Finally, the lingual space maintainer is a device that is highly useful in the case where there are multiple missing teeth. This is especially true when these teeth are missing at the front of the mouth. The lingual space maintainer is attached to molars on either side of the mouth to create a firm placement. With so much to offer it is clear to see why space maintainers are so important in today’s modern pediatric dentistry. Contact your Walnut Creek dentist, Dr. Massood Darvishzadeh at Dental Implant Solutions today to know about the importance of space maintainers.

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