Habit and Space Maintainer Appliances

Your child may need a space maintainer if the baby tooth is lost early due to trauma or decay. The space maintainer is made of metal and acrylic and will be cemented in your child’s mouth. It is usually very well tolerated by children who become accustomed to having it. A space maintainer preserves the space left behind by the extracted tooth until the permanent tooth is ready to erupt. It also stabilizes the permanent tooth by preventing it from tipping or moving forward. It is customized to fit your child’s mouth.

Once the child has a space maintainer he or she must avoid any sticky sweets or chewing gum. Your child should brush and floss normally with the space maintainer in place. We will check the space maintainer every six months and monitor the eruption of the permanent tooth to determine when it will no longer be necessary.