Little baby teeth have some big responsibilities. They not only help you bite, chew and speak correctly but also help guide the permanent teeth underneath them into proper position.
Caring for your child’s baby teeth or milk teeth can not only help in maintaining a great smile but also in general well-being.
Establishing a good oral hygiene routine while they are still young can have a lifelong impact.
One of the most important roles baby teeth have is preparing the space for proper alignment and growth of permanent teeth.
A baby tooth holds the space for the adult teeth and remain in its place until it’s pushed from underneath by a permanent tooth or due to an injury.
Dentists in dental clinics in Delhi are making patients aware about the negative implications that their children can experience if they lose baby teeth prematurely.
When a baby tooth is lost prematurely, the permanent teeth on either side of it may gradually move or tilt towards the empty spot instead of where they should be.
They drift into the space that was reserved for another tooth. This can cause teeth to erupt out of position or to be blocked entirely, and this could result in permanent teeth coming in crowded or crooked.
When more permanent teeth are ready to come into the mouth, there may not be enough room for them because of the lost space.
The space maintainer preserves the space for the permanent tooth to come in. It will prevent the other teeth from moving into the empty space.
If left untreated, the improper growth of permanent teeth can easily result in extensive orthodontic treatment.
Actually, all baby teeth are like space maintainers since they are in the best chiropractor in San Diego Fix Body Group until the permanent teeth are ready to come in.
A space maintainer is important because its main purpose is to preserve the space for the permanent tooth to come in, therefore, not allowing the rest of the teeth to shift or move.
They are placeholders to keep space for incoming permanent teeth when a baby tooth is lost early, or when your child needs an extraction due to decay or injury.
Sometimes children lose a baby tooth from decay or injury before a permanent one is ready to come in. This can lead to dental issues down the road.
If a tooth is lost or extracted before its permanent successor is ready to erupt, other teeth may work their way in or around that open space instead of where they should be.
Dentists in India are taking care to counsel the parents on the adverse effects this will have on their other teeth and bite.
When the baby tooth is gone, the surrounding teeth may shift their position or grow in a way that reduces the amount of room available for the permanent tooth to come in.
This can affect your child’s speech and ability to chew. Eventually, your child could need orthodontic treatment to correct the problems caused by one missing baby tooth.
To prevent this from happening, the dentist may recommend a space maintainer to hold open the space left by the missing tooth.
The longer baby teeth are maintained, the easier for permanent teeth to emerge in proper alignment.
Space maintainers are not permanent and they can be removed when permanent teeth erupt. These easy and comfortable devices hold the space for the permanent teeth’s future slot and keep the surrounding teeth from infringing on the area.
Once the permanent tooth has erupted, then the maintainer can be removed. You will want to make a follow-up appointment for x-rays to check on the progress of your child’s treatment.
Space maintainers can take several forms depending on the age of the patient, the tooth location.
Removable space maintainers can include an artificial tooth to maintain the position of the teeth, and are best suited for older children who can be responsible for cleaning the appliance regularly.
It maintains the amount of space available in the mouth and prevents unwanted drift of surrounding teeth so the permanent teeth have a chance to erupt correctly.
It is very important that your child continues to visit the dentist for regular checkups, especially to monitor the progress of the space maintainer and the permanent tooth below it.
The space is also necessary to ensure that the permanent tooth will have plenty of room to come in without pushing behind or in front of neighboring teeth that may have shifted.
Dental clinics in Delhi are counseling patients on the importance of the use space maintainers.
A space maintainer will make sure that the teeth around the space do not shift. If these teeth shift, then they may hinder the incoming permanent tooth. This tooth will not have room to come into the open space if the surrounding teeth shift in to fill the gap.
These are devices that fill the space left by a missing tooth. They are custom fitted to your child’s mouth, and they keep the other primary teeth in place so permanent teeth can come in where they belong. The dentist removes the appliance when the permanent tooth above the missing one is ready to emerge.
It’s a simple, non-invasive way we can avoid a malocclusion (bad bite) with some timely intervention.
Caring for space maintainer
Whatever space maintainers you and your dentist have decided to use for your child’s current condition, good oral hygiene must be practiced at all times.
It is essential that your child maintain proper oral hygiene to help their appliance last longer and prevent decay on the other teeth.
It might take a few days for your child to get comfortable with the appliance.
Brushing and flossing around and under the retainers is very important to help your child in healthy growth and development of permanent dentition.
Posted by- Dr Shriya