Pediatrics Dentistry - In Your Local Palo Alto, CA Area

Space Maintainers Save Your Child's Smile

Space maintainers can save your child's smile. They are specially designed to protect space for your child's permanent teeth when baby teeth are prematurely lost because of injury or decay. If a tooth is lost too soon, your dentist may suggest a space maintainer to prevent future dental problems.

What's the Problem if Baby Teeth Come Out Too Soon?

The primary teeth or baby teeth play an important role in your child's developing mouth. They help in the normal development of the muscles and jawbones. Primary teeth serve as natural space maintainers, holding the space until the permanent teeth push them out. If baby teeth are lost too early, the other teeth can drift into the vacant space. This might cause teeth to come in crooked or unable to erupt into the gum, which leads to malocclusion, the improper positioning of the teeth and jaws. It also can cause a permanent tooth to appear prematurely, before what's best for a child's long-term dental health.

What Is a Space Maintainer?

It's a small device made of either plastic or metal and custom-fit to the child's mouth. It is a firmly fixed appliance, consisting of a band or temporary crown attached to a tooth on one side of the empty tooth socket. A wire loop or spring bridges the space to a tooth on the other side of the socket. Rarely, a dentist may make a removable space maintainer that is like a retainer or mouth guard.

How Does a Space Maintainer Help?

• Holds the empty space open, preventing movement of the other teeth, and gives the permanent tooth the needed time to take its natural position.
• May reduce or eliminate future orthodontic treatment.

What Dental Care Is Required?

Good oral hygiene is important. The space maintainer should be kept clean and teeth need to be brushed at least twice a day and flossed daily. Certain things must be avoided with a space maintainer in place -- no sticky sweets, chewing gum, or tugging on it with either fingers or the tongue.

Most children adjust within a few days to the new experience of a space maintainer. It can dramatically make a difference in a child's dental health and be worth any temporary discomfort or inconvenience.

by Brian J. Gray, DDS, MAGD, FICO

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Facts About Dental Fluoride

We have all received the benefit that fluoride offers in preventing tooth decay. The following facts will provide you with information to assure that your child's teeth receive the optimum amount of fluoride.

• Fluoride strengthens the outer layer of enamel, making teeth more resistant to the acid attack of decay-causing bacteria. It can be of benefit not only when the teeth are forming, but also after they have erupted (come in).
• Primary (baby) teeth begin to develop at six weeks during pregnancy. Fluoride supplements for mom during her pregnancy do not benefit baby's developing teeth. Only tiny amounts of fluoride are found in breast milk.
• Well water may contain large amounts of fluoride. Before giving your child fluoride supplements, have your well water tested for fluoride content. Fluoride sticks to the sides of glass containers. Use a plastic container for an accurate test result.
• Bottled water may also contain significant amounts of fluoride. The amount of fluoride will vary with the season of the year, the water table, and the plant from which the water was obtained.
• Juices, tea, and soft drinks may contain fluoride. White grape juice has the highest concentration of fluoride. Fish and chicken baby food may also provide fluoride.
• Do not assume that your home water filter system removes all fluoride. The age of the system and the filter may have a significant effect on your fluoride level. Have your water tested before giving your child a fluoride supplement.
• Do not use fluoridated toothpaste before two years of age. Dispense only a dab the size of a match head for children under five. Children's toothpaste has the same amount of fluoride as the adult brands.
• If your home water supply is not fluoridated, the water at school, daycare, or the caregiver's home may be optimally fluoridated.
• Your physician or pediatric dentist may prescribe a fluoride supplement. Once the chewable tablet is begun, fluoride and vitamins should be taken separately. Vitamins work best with food, and fluoride is best absorbed from an empty stomach. Fluoride tablets should be taken at bedtime after the teeth are brushed. Chew, swish, and swallow.
• There are many sources of fluoride other than your home water supply. When considering a fluoride supplement for your child, remember your fluoride facts!

by Jane A. Soxman, DDS



+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.