Space Maintainers

Let’s say that one of your child’s baby teeth comes out early due to a fall into a table. To help with the development of the adult teeth, a space maintainer, or space holder, can be used to save the baby tooth space for the eventual adult tooth.

Baby teeth really are important. Although it might not seem like a big deal when a child loses a baby tooth early (after all, they’ll lose them anyway), losing a tooth too early can cause issues when adult teeth arrive. Baby teeth often guide the adult teeth into place, help with the development of the jaw and more. By using space maintainers, Dr. Bill can help your child’s teeth grow properly.

Space maintainers are not a replacement for orthodontics. But they can help keep teeth in their normal positions instead of moving around. And as we all know, teeth that move around often require braces of some kind in the future.

There are four rules for space maintainers. If your child ever needs space maintainers, Dr. Bill will fill you in on the four rules. But simply put, they are: avoid sticky sweets, don’t tug on the space maintainer, brush and floss the maintainer like a normal tooth, keep coming to the dentist for regular checkups.

Schedule your child’s regular checkup with Dr. Bill. His team of caring pediatric professionals is here to help keep your child smiling bright. Call 541-672-5535 to schedule your appointment today.