Pediatric
Space maintainer
A space maintainer is a small metal or plastic appliance that holds open the gap left by an early baby-tooth loss until the adult tooth is ready.
Baby teeth save room for the adult teeth under them. When a baby tooth is lost too soon, nearby teeth can lean into the gap. The ADA says if a primary tooth is lost too early, adult teeth can erupt into the empty space instead of where they should be. A space maintainer prevents that. Some are a band with a wire loop cemented to a tooth. Others are removable. Your child should avoid sticky foods and should not pull at it, and brushing around it takes care. The dentist checks it at each visit and removes it when the adult tooth comes in. See primary teeth, tooth eruption, and our page on dentistry for kids.