Space Maintainers In Brampton
Your child’s little baby teeth have some big responsibilities. Until the adolescent years, they help your child bite and chew, speak correctly, and help guide the permanent teeth underneath them into proper position. In fact, a major function of baby teeth is to hold space for the adult teeth that will eventually push them out.
Sometimes, however, injury or disease can cause a baby tooth to be lost prematurely. When that happens, the other permanent teeth that are coming in can drift into the space that was reserved for another tooth. This can cause teeth to erupt out of position or to be blocked entirely, and it may result in crowded or crooked teeth.
What Is A Dental Space Maintainer?
If your child loses a tooth prematurely, there’s a dental appliance we can use to hold the space open for the permanent tooth that is meant to fill it. The device is, not surprisingly, called a “space maintainer” or a “space maintenance appliance”. Made of metal and/or plastic, space maintainers can be fixed (cemented) or removable. If your child is in need for space maintainers in Brampton, book an appointment at Venus Dental Care by calling 905-451-5999.
Why Does My Child Need A Space Maintainer?
Children may need space maintainers if they lose a tooth early or have a baby (primary) tooth extracted due to a cavity. Normally, a baby tooth is replaced by the permanent tooth shortly after the baby tooth falls out. When a longer period exists between the loss of the baby tooth and the growth of the new tooth, the space left behind can be taken by other teeth shifting into that spot. This could result in complications as the tooth won’t have enough room to erupt into, and braces may be required in the future.
Space maintainers are also useful when one or more permanent teeth are congenitally missing — in other words, they have never existed at all. In cases like this, which are not uncommon, permanent dental implant teeth are often recommended to replace with the missing teeth. But timing is very important with dental implants as they can’t be placed in a growing child. Therefore, a space maintainer with a false tooth on it can be used until jaw growth is complete and an implant can be appropriately placed.
Types Of Space Maintainers
There are two types of space maintainers for children, removable and fixed.
- Removable – removable space maintainers are similar to orthodontic appliances and are usually made of acrylic. In some cases, an artificial tooth may be used to fill a space that must remain open for the unerupted tooth.
- Fixed – there are four different kinds of fixed space maintainers: unilateral, crown and loop, distal shoe and lingual.
The unilateral and crown and loop space maintainers are placed on one side of the mouth to hold space open for one tooth.
The unilateral space maintainer, also known as band and loop, wraps around the outside of the tooth and is connected to a metal loop that holds the space intact.
The crown and loop is an actual crown that covers the tooth and is attached to the loop to ensure there is space for the erupting tooth.
The distal shoe space maintainer is usually used for an unerupted first permanent molar tooth. It is a more complicated space maintainer because the end of the metal is usually inserted into the gum line to keep the open space from closing.
The lingual space maintainer may be cemented to molar teeth and connected by a wire on the inside of the lower front teeth. Usually this is used for more than one missing tooth.
Is A Fixed Or Removable Space Maintainer Better For My Child?
Fixed space maintainers are often recommended for younger children, because they are harder to fidget with, break, or misplace.
Removable appliances can have a false tooth on it, which is useful if the lost tooth was visible when smiling. Older children can usually handle the responsibility of wearing this appliance and caring for it properly.
How Is A Space Maintainer Made?
Whether fixed or removable, your child’s space maintainer will be custom-made after we take impressions of their mouth. Using our iTero Digital Scanner, we will be able to create a 3D model of their teeth. Our lab will then use this to produce a space maintainer suited for their specific teeth arrangement. Our team will then deliver this appliance to your child and discuss how to keep up good oral hygiene with it.
How Long Does My Child Need To Have A Space Maintainer For?
A child will wear a space maintainer until x-rays reveal that the tooth underneath is ready to erupt naturally. Due to the space maintainer reserving enough space for the tooth, it can erupt into its normal position in the mouth.
If the permanent tooth is missing, then the space maintainer can remain until growth of remaining teeth and jaws is complete. Then the dentist places a bridge, implant, or partial denture to fill in the gap.
Do Dental Insurances Cover Space Maintainers?
Most dental insurances do provide coverage for space maintainers. Our team will be happy to contact your insurance provider to get a complete breakdown for you.
Where Can I Get A Space Maintainer In Brampton?
The trained professionals at Venus Dental Care provide custom space maintainers in Brampton. Do you have a child who has lost some teeth prematurely? Come visit our team to determine if they need a space maintainer to keep their teeth on the right track.
To schedule an appointment with a dentist in Brampton click here, call 905-451-5999, or email reception@venusdentalcare.com. For your convenience, we provide the same, excellent quality dental service at our Mississauga location: Britannia Dental Care.