Primary teeth will fall out of a child’s mouth, but if your dentist recommended installing space maintainers in Katy, you should know why. Primary teeth may fall too early in a kid’s dental development, and this may put the kid at risk of developing other orthodontic conditions. When there is a space left in the child’s mouth, the rest of the teeth may shift positions, and prevent the proper eruption of a permanent tooth.
We say that a primary tooth may fall out too soon if the permanent tooth is not yet ready to erupt. A child may lose a primary tooth due to an accident and trauma, an infection caused by poor hygiene, or other health complications. Your dentist may recommend space maintainer in Katy because they can determine that the position of the other teeth will change and result in serious complications later on.
Space maintainers in Katy are dental appliances, they can be fixed or removable, and they all serve to either maintain or fill the space left by the previous tooth while the new one erupts. You have three types of space maintainers, and only a consultation with your dentist will determine if you need these appliances or not.
Crown and Loop Space Maintainers are placed on the side of the mouth. They are a crown installed over a tooth that holds a metal loop in place over the space we are trying to maintain. The loop pushes against the other tooth to help them resist the temptation of moving into the now-free space. Another type of space maintainers in Katy is the lingual holding arch. This appliance may be installed when several teeth are missing, cemented to a molar tooth, and connected by a wire.
Finally, we have the distal shoe. The distal shoe is the most complex of space maintainers because it requires being installed under the gum line to prevent the space from being closed. It requires frequent monitoring from your dentist to ensure that the permanent tooth erupts without encountering resistance from the dental appliance.
For some patients, the better choice would be to install a partial denture, but the only way to determine if your kid needs space maintainers in Katy is to consult with your dentist. You can set your next appointment with us, and together we will determine what is the best strategy to ensure the proper dental development of your child.