Baby teeth are not just for chewing, but they are also responsible for guiding the permanent teeth to its proper placement once they erupt. If your child loses their baby teeth too early, then the permanent tooth may become misaligned. This will cause drifting and erupt in the wrong position of the mouth. This can also crooked teeth. The neighboring teeth can move into the vacant space, which leaves insufficient space for the permanent teeth.

But luckily, there's a dental option to help your child with this issue. Space maintainers can be used to make sure that space remains open until the permanent tooth erupts from the gums.

There are two kinds of space maintainers, stainless steel or plastic. It may be removable or fixed onto either side of the teeth in your child's mouth. This is quite similar to a retainer, where a removal space maintainer uses artificial teeth to fill in the space and make sure that it remains open.

There's also the band-and-loop space maintainer that is made from stainless steel wire and fixed by a crown on the tooth next to the vacant space. This is recommended for younger children who may find it hard to maintain the removable device.

At Dental Corner, we offer space maintainer installation service. Our dental professionals will make sure that the space maintainer is properly placed in your children's mouth.

Please feel free to call us for further clarification on the process and the purpose and benefits of space maintainers.