maintainer for children

When the milk teeth fall off sooner than expected time, the pediatric dentist uses a space maintainer to prevent the permanent teeth from growing crooked. Most of the children’s milk teeth grow fully at the age of three years old. These primary teeth enable them to eat hard foods and act as preservatives for permanent teeth. When the milk teeth fall off early, or permanent teeth grow late, the children dentist recommends using a dental space maintainer to protect the baby's mouth until the gaps are filled with permanent teeth. The buds of the milk and permanent teeth are created in fetal times. At the age of 6-8 months, the baby's first milk tooth grows, and by the age of 2, all the milk teeth grow in the baby's mouth. The number of primary teeth in a child's mouth is 20 (10 teeth in the maxilla and ten teeth in the mandible). Permanent teeth are entirely replaced with milk teeth by the age of 12.

Some parents do not care much for milk teeth, while these teeth provide adequate space for permanent teeth that are likely to grow in the future. If the milk teeth fall off sooner than promised, the rest of the tooth fills the missed tooth gradually. As a result, the space required for the growth of the permanent tooth will be disappeared and cause the other teeth to be crooked. Accordingly, the emergency dentist applies a space maintainer for children to prevent milk tooth movement and proper growth of the permanent tooth. The space maintainer is a ring that is placed in the toothless area.

Different Types of Space Maintainer
The space maintainer is divided into two groups, fixed and movable types.
1- A movable space maintainer: The removable space maintainers are like orthodontic removable plates, which the child should put in his or her mouths for 14 hours a day, and then s/he should remove and wash the plaque after eating.
2- Fixed space maintainer: Fixed space maintainers are adhered to the child’s teeth with dental adhesives in the emergency dental clinic. These preservatives are more suitable for younger children or those who have lost their back teeth.
They can be mounted on the upper or lower jaw to cover the cavity of the front or back teeth. The preservative that the pediatric dentist recommends depends on the number and location of the missed teeth. There are different kinds of fixed space maintainers, including crown and loop, lingual holding arch, trans-palatal arch, and distal shoe.

When Does the Child Need Space Maintainer?
Some children are injured due to trauma. Some children have an early childhood cavity. This occurs when the newborns suck their mother’s breast or milk glass or walking with the bottle in the mouth for a long time. The sugar in the milk causes cavities in the enamel, which can cause tooth loss. Sometimes some milk teeth may not grow due to genetic conditions. It is better for children to not eating sweets and sticky chocolates. Regular dental examinations in the dentist office are a must for checking the baby’s teeth. Having oral hygiene is an essential factor.For more information about our professional emergency dental services in Toronto, follow our clinic on Google.