Space Maintainers

In the event that a baby tooth is lost due to trauma or because of an extraction, a space maintainer may need to be placed in order to hold the space open until the permanent tooth starts to erupt. Without a space maintainer the teeth adjacent to the space may drift and block out the space needed for the permanent tooth. 

Procedure: First, Dr. Chu will take an impression of your child's teeth. The impression is sent to a lab that designs the space maintainer to fit over one of the adjacent teeth and a loop that acts as a space holder. Once the permanent tooth starts to erupt, Dr. Chu will remore the appliance in time for the eruption of the permanent tooth.