Space Maintainers

Space Maintainer Hudsonville MI Pediatric Dentists

Your child’s baby teeth act as placeholders for their permanent adult teeth. This is why our pediatric dentists may recommend a space maintainer if your child prematurely loses a baby tooth before the adult tooth is ready to erupt.

A space maintainer holds the empty space in your child’s jaw, reserving it for the adult tooth. Otherwise, your child’s other teeth may tilt toward the open space and block the path of the adult tooth.

Why Your Child May Need a Space Maintainer

Your child may need a dental space maintainer if we need to extract a baby tooth that’s badly decayed. Likewise, children can lose teeth prematurely from being accidentally bumped in the mouth.

Either way, our pediatric dentists will come up with the best solution to protect your child’s oral health, which may involve a space maintainer.

Your child’s teeth are held in place by their gums, jawbone tissue, and adjacent teeth. This means that once your child loses one tooth, they’re at risk for losing more.

Over time, adjacent teeth will loosen and tilt toward the empty space. Our pediatric dentists are able to place a space maintainer in your child’s mouth to stop this from happening.

How to Take Care of a Space Maintainer

While your child has their dental space maintainer, they’ll need to avoid chewing gum, taffy, gummy bears, and other sticky foods. Hard foods like ice cubes and nuts can also damage your child’s space maintainer.

Since a space maintainer catches food particles and plaque, it’s important that your child brush and floss daily. Make sure that your child maintains a healthy oral hygiene routine while they wear their dental space maintainer.

Call Hudsonville Dental Kids

If your child has prematurely lost a tooth, call our pediatric dental office as soon as possible. Our Hudsonville, Mi, pediatric dentists can determine whether your child is a candidate for a space maintainer. To schedule an appointment with Hudsonville Dental Kids, call (616) 209-4039.