marshfield Space Maintenance

Protect Your Child’s Oral Development

MARSHFIELD Space Maintenance

The premature loss of a primary tooth can have a number of negative effects on your child’s oral development. However, if your child’s tooth must be removed due to an injury or decay before it falls out naturally, space maintainers ensure your child’s proper oral development.

What Is a Space Maintainer?

When They are Necessary

Space maintainers are a special type of dental prosthetic, used when a baby tooth has been lost prematurely due to a tooth infection, dental trauma, or any other dental health issue. At Marshfield Pediatric Dentistry, both removable and fixed space maintainers are available. Space maintainers are placed in the area where your child’s missing tooth once was in order to prevent other teeth from shifting into the now-empty socket. This ensures that your child’s permanent teeth can grow in properly, and that no other dental health issues keep your child from proper oral development.

Premature Loss of Primary Teeth

Understanding The Effects Of Tooth Loss

Space maintenance is important if your child has prematurely lost a baby tooth, because missing teeth can have a number of negative effects on childhood oral development. Once a tooth is lost, the remaining teeth tend to shift toward the empty socket, in an attempt to fill it up. This can lead to bite issues and problems with tooth alignment, as well as the improper eruption of permanent teeth. Placing a space maintainer prevents these issues, and keeps your child’s mouth healthy until their adult teeth come in.

The Importance Of Proper Tooth Spacing

Benefits Of Space Maintenance

The biggest benefit of a space maintainer is that it helps preserve the proper tooth spacing in your child’s mouth after a tooth is lost. This can help your child avoid serious issues with oral development. If a space maintainer is not used, this can lead to the eventual necessity of orthodontics or even oral surgery.

Preserve Your Child’s Smile

Schedule Your Consultation Today!

If your child is suffering from a decayed tooth, an oral injury, or if you suspect that your child’s tooth may need to be extracted, call us today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Julie. At Marshfield Pediatric Dentistry, we offer space maintainers to support proper oral development and minimize any potential complications. Give us a call at (781) 205-1124, or come to our office at 3 Proprietors Drive, Marshfield, MA 02050 to get started.