The Importance of Space Maintainers: Preserving Precious Smiles.
Ensuring the proper development of a child’s teeth is crucial for their long-term oral health and smile aesthetics. Orthodontic space maintainers play a vital role in preserving the natural alignment of teeth and preventing future complications in the teenage years and beyond.
Orthodontic space maintainers are custom-made dental appliances designed to preserve the spaces left by prematurely lost baby teeth. When a primary (baby) tooth is lost before its natural successor is ready to erupt, adjacent teeth may shift into the vacant space, causing misalignment issues and blocking the natural eruption of the adult tooth (impaction). Space maintainers help prevent this by holding the space until the permanent tooth is ready to emerge.
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Space maintainers help avoid misalignment issues that may arise due to premature tooth loss, ensuring proper spacing for permanent teeth.
Maintaining proper tooth spacing contributes to the bite’s effective functioning, preventing chewing and speech issues.
Timely use of space maintainers can reduce the likelihood of future orthodontic problems requiring more extensive and costly treatments.
Preserving natural tooth alignment supports the development of a harmonious and aesthetically pleasing smile.
There is a need to balance the need for an orthodontic space maintainer with how fast the adult tooth will erupt. Determining the need for a space maintainer involves a thorough examination by an experienced orthodontist to avoid wasting money or missing the opportunity to prevent future problems. The Orthodontic Team at MyBracesClinic will determine:
Suppose the baby tooth has NOT been taken out yet but is badly broken down and cannot last long. In that case, our Orthodontic Team will quickly do an intraoral scan of the affected area using the iTero scanner to create a 3D image of the affected area. NO more goopy impressions (yuck!). This is completely light-based, and NO radiation is involved.
From .stl files created by the iTero scanner, we will 3D print out your child’s teeth models to custom fabricate the space maintainer. This is all done BEFORE the bad baby tooth is removed to ensure no space is lost. Once the broken-down baby tooth is removed, the space maintainer is then cemented in place.
Suppose there is already a loss of space for the next adult tooth. In that case, MyBracesClinic’s Orthodontic Team will decide how much space to regain BEFORE space maintainer insertion via a detailed space analysis.
Periodic dental visits are essential to monitor the condition of the space maintainer and ensure its effectiveness. Periodic adjustments to the space maintainer may be needed to accommodate the changing oral landscape as permanent teeth emerge.
Proper oral hygiene practices, including regular brushing and flossing, help prevent complications and ensure the longevity of the space maintainer.
Orthodontic space maintainers play a pivotal role in safeguarding a child’s oral health by preserving spaces for permanent teeth. If your child has experienced premature tooth loss, consult with us at MyBracesClinic to explore the potential benefits of space maintainers. Taking proactive steps can contribute to the long-term health and alignment of your child’s precious smile.
Your trusted partner for orthodontic excellence, crafting beautiful smiles with expertise, care, and the latest technology.
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