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Space Maintainer


Smiling teenager sitting in dental chairIf one of your child’s baby teeth falls out before it’s supposed to, a space maintainer is essential for maintaining their oral health and promoting proper oral development in Aldie. At Smile Kids! Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Nadgie can help you keep your child’s mouth healthy after early baby tooth loss, and ensure their adult teeth continue to erupt properly in the coming years. Contact us now, or learn more about this treatment below.

What Are Dental Space Maintainers?


As the name implies, this dental prosthetic is intended to maintain the proper spacing between your child’s teeth. Dental space maintainers are used when a child’s baby tooth has fallen out early, and there is a gap between two of their remaining healthy teeth.

These space maintainers are made of plastic or metal and are used to fill this gap, and prevent the nearby teeth from moving. Teeth tend to move toward empty sockets when there are gaps in the smile, and this can cause serious problems with your child’s oral development if a baby tooth falls out before it’s supposed to.

This is because your child’s baby teeth form the “paths” that their adult teeth will follow as they erupt. If your child loses one or more of their baby teeth early, the adjacent teeth may shift and interfere with the proper eruption of the adult teeth.

In turn, this can lead to serious orthodontic and oral development issues that may be costly and time-consuming to fix. With a space maintainer, you can avoid this problem, and ensure your child’s mouth develops properly.

Why Would My Child Need A Space Maintainer?


Kids need space maintainers when their baby teeth fall out or are pulled out before they’re supposed to fall out naturally. The most common cause of this is dental trauma. If your child has a baby tooth knocked out, it can’t be replaced, so a space maintainer is used to fill the gap until their adult tooth comes in.

‍This can also happen because of untreated decay in baby teeth. If the decay is too extensive and the tooth cannot be saved, the tooth may need to be extracted and replaced with a space maintainer to keep your child’s mouth healthy.

‍If your child loses a baby tooth prematurely for any reason, they need a space maintainer. So come into Smile Kids! Pediatric Dentistry for an appointment with Dr. Nadgie right away, and get your little one the help they need.

What Happens When My Child Doesn’t Need A Space Maintainer Anymore?


After your child gets a space maintainer from Dr. Nadgie, she’ll keep an eye on their oral development as you continue to come to Smile Kids! Pediatric Dentistry for six-month teeth cleanings and oral exams.

When your child’s adult tooth begins to emerge below the space maintainer, it will simply be removed. The adult tooth will grow into place and ensure the other teeth don’t move or shift, so there is no need for a space maintainer once it has begun erupting.
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Phone


(276) 663-0065

Hours


Mon: 9:30am - 4pm
Tues: 9:30am - 4pm
Wed: 9:30am - 4pm
Thurs: 9:30am - 4pm
Friday: 9:30am - 4pm
Saturday: We are open one Saturday a month by appointment.
We are closed for federal Holidays.

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Smile Kids! Pediatric Dentistry, 24560 Southpoint Drive, Suite 240, Aldie, VA 20105 ^ (276) 663-0065 ^ smilekidsva.com ^ 10/20/2024 ^ Related Phrases: pediatric dentist Aldie Virginia ^