WatchSpace Maintainers

How a space maintainer protects your child's developing smile

Here's a job baby teeth do that rarely gets credit: each one reserves exactly enough room in the jaw for the permanent tooth waiting underneath. Lose a baby tooth too early to injury, severe decay, or extraction, and the neighboring teeth start drifting into that gap. The permanent tooth then has nowhere to go, and the crowding that follows often means orthodontic correction down the line.

Watch the video to see how a space maintainer handles that risk. The appliance is small and custom-made, typically a thin metal band fitted around a neighboring tooth with a loop or wire that keeps the gap open. As soon as the permanent tooth begins to come in, it's easily removed.

Most kids adjust to a space maintainer quickly, and it gets in the way of neither eating nor speaking. It stays put until the permanent tooth is ready to erupt, a stretch that runs anywhere from a few months to a few years depending on which tooth was lost and when.

Whether your child has already lost a baby tooth early or has one that needs to come out, it's worth asking if a space maintainer makes sense. At Brammeier Family Dental, Dr. Lauren Brammeier can determine whether the space needs holding and choose the least intrusive option for your child.

Read the video transcript