What Are Space Maintainers and How Do They Help Your Child?

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If your child has a primary tooth or teeth that fall out early in their development, something needs to be put in place to make sure space remains open for the adult tooth to come in when it is ready. At Smile Big Children’s Dentistry, we offer an oral appliance called a space maintainer to make sure this happens by keeping the surrounding teeth from shifting.

Until your child’s permanent teeth come in, their primary teeth serve several functions. They help your child eat, chew, and save space for the adult teeth to come in properly. If the tooth is lost prematurely, the adult tooth can come in in the wrong position. If the baby teeth aren’t in place until the adult tooth is ready, the surrounding teeth will move and take up space the adult teeth needs when it arrives.

So why might your child lose their primary teeth? If the teeth were missing when they are born, or they have an accident or injury, the loss of the tooth will cause problems. Other factors that might cause a primary tooth to fall out early include damage from extensive decay or infection and diseases.

With the help of a space maintainer, your child’s adult tooth can erupt in the position when it is ready. We offer both removable and fixed space maintainers for our pediatric patients, depending on their unique needs.

To learn more about space maintainers, or to schedule a consultation, please give our team a call at 713-697-6453. Our pediatric dentist, Dr. Erin Sinada in Humble, Texas is here to help your child’s oral health thrive!