At Richmond Hill Kids Dentistry and Orthodontics our pediatric dentists may recommend a space maintainer as an early intervention appliance for your child if they lose a baby tooth prematurely.

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How Space Maintainers Work

A space maintainer is a dental appliance that is custom-made in acrylic or metal by your dentist. It can be either removable or cemented in a child's mouth.

Your child may need a space maintainer if they lose a baby tooth prematurely, before the adult (permanent) tooth is ready to erupt. This appliance helps to keep the space open to allow the permanent tooth to erupt into the correct place.

Without a space maintainer, the adult teeth can erupt into the empty space, not leaving enough room for the rest of the adult teeth and causing issues for your child's oral health.

Space Maintainers, Richmond Hill Pediatric Dentist

Fixed Space Maintainers

Fixed space maintainers are cemented into place onto the teeth adjacent to the space left by a missing tooth.

These appliances are often preferred with younger children, because they are less easy to fidget with, break, or misplace than appliances that can be removed.

Removable Space Maintainers

Removable space maintainers look like a retainer. They can hold a false tooth, which is particularly useful when the lost tooth was visible in the mouth.

Older children can usually handle the responsibility of wearing this appliance and caring for it properly.

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Space Maintainers for Kids

How Space Maintainers Work

Fixed Space Maintainers

Removable Space Maintainers

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