Space Maintainer

Space maintainer in the lower arch

As the name suggests, this appliance maintains the space for a permanent tooth in a child.
In many children the milk teeth have been extracted at an early age for various reasons. If the extraction of the milk (baby) tooth happens before the eruption time of the permanent (adult) tooth then the fixing of a space maintainer is highly recommended.
When a space maintainer is not placed, the adjacent teeth migrate and close the space required for the eruption of the permanent tooth. As a result, the permanent tooth doesn’t have space to erupt and malocclusion along with various dental problems like bad bite may occur.