When your child’s teeth are lost prematurely, it is important to ensure permanent teeth don’t erupt into the empty space. There are many reasons why children can lose their baby teeth. This includes decay, overcrowding, disease, and/or trauma. At Rockstar Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we provide Space Maintainers to help overcome this problem. Our board-certified pediatric dentist, Dr. Stella, has a way with children and knows how to make them feel comfortable and calm.

Dental space maintainers are appliances created and placed to leave the right amount of space for your child’s permanent teeth to erupt and grow into. Early loss of baby teeth can affect the proper development of the upper and lower jaws. We recommend professional monitoring of baby teeth shedding and adult teeth eruption to prevent any chance of teeth misalignment.

Some of the common causes of premature loss of baby teeth include:

• Congenital defects
• Trauma
• Decay
• Disease

Space maintainers can be fixed or removable. We will assess the number and type of devices required. Dr. Stella has been regarded as one of the top pediatric dentists by leading magazines. Having completed specialty training in the areas of dental public health and pediatric dentistry, she specializes in placing all types of space maintainers in Washington, DC, including:

• Band and Loop
• Nance
• Lingual holding arch

We will determine which type is suited for your child’s unique dental condition. It involves a simple procedure that requires no more than 2 office visits. Once placed, your child will take a few days to get used to the device.

Once your child gets used to the space maintainer, periodic office visits will be required for monitoring. This is important to ensure the proper development of the new teeth.