Many people believe that baby (primary) teeth are unimportant to care for or maintain. The truth is that baby teeth can decay and can cause pain if they are left in a state of disrepair. It is important for children to see the dentist and to have fillings done if they have areas of decay. Some baby teeth remain in the mouth up to and sometimes beyond age 12! Therefore it is very important to take care of the teeth both at home and at the dental office. There are times when a primary tooth is removed from the mouth before the adult tooth is ready to come in. This can happen because of an accident or trauma, or the tooth may be so severely decayed that it is not restorable. In the event that a child loses a tooth prematurely, it is very important that an appliance called a space maintainer be put in place to hold open the space so that the other teeth do not shift. If the other teeth shift, when the adult teeth are ready to erupt, they may be forced to come in crooked because there is not a space for them in the child's mouth (see photo). A space maintainer is a metal bar which holds the teeth on either side of the space in position and avoids crowding. When the adult tooth is ready to come in, the dentist will remove the space maintainer. |
| Primary Teeth |
| The results of failing to maintain the space normally held by a baby tooth. |
Gorham Family Dentistry, P.A.
| Space Maintainer in place |
| Space Maintainer ready for removal |
