Space maintainers
Preserve and maintain space.
Space maintainers are appliances used in the mouth to preserve and maintain space. They are necessary when one or more primary molars have been prematurely lost due to trauma or disease. Using a space maintainer allows the permanent teeth to erupt, or grow, into the correct alignment with proper tooth-to-tooth contact records.
Different Types of Space Maintainers.
Generally, fixed space maintainers are used by cementing onto the tooth. They cannot be removed by the patient, increasing their long-term effectiveness. Fixed space maintainers include the band and loop, the TransPalatal arch, the distal shoe and the lingual holding arch.
