Space Maintainers
Primary teeth, or baby teeth, are significant to your child’s current and future dental health. They promote normal development of the jaw bone and muscles, preserve space for the eruption of permanent teeth and guide them into their proper positions. If your child loses baby teeth due to injury or decay, we may recommend space maintainers.
Made of metal or plastic, space maintainers are small and unnoticeable in appearance. They are customized to fit in your child’s mouth. Space maintainers hold open the empty space left by a lost baby tooth. They stabilize the remaining teeth by preventing movement until the permanent tooth erupts; taking its proper place in the jaw. Assist your child with brushing and flossing daily and try to minimize sticky foods as they can damage or dislodge the space maintainer. Your child should continue to see our office regularly for dental visits.
Nance Appliance/Lower Lingual Holding Arch (LLHA)
The Nance Appliance is used to prevent upper molars from rotating or moving forward after the premature loss of a top primary molar. The LLHA is used for the same reason after the loss of a lower primary molar. The appliances are made of two bands that are cemented onto the first molars on the opposite sides of the mouth and a wire spans from one molar to the other. The Nance appliance has an acrylic pad or “button” covers the wire that touches the roof of your mouth directly behind your front teeth. The LLHA does not have this button and instead uses the backs, or tongue side, of your lower front teeth. Unilateral appliances are sometimes used depending on the dental age of your child. Patients should maintain good oral hygiene and avoid sticky foods, gum as they can damage or dislodge the appliance.
Thumb/Finger Appliance
Sucking is a natural reflex that relaxes and comforts babies and toddlers, whether it be a thumb, finger or pacifier. However, we encourage parents to discontinue any oral habit of their children by the age of 3. Habits that persist much beyond this age can cause improper growth of the mouth and misalignment of the permanent dentition. If you notice prolonged and/or vigorous thumb sucking behavior in your child beyond age 3, talk to us about it.
At a certain age it may be necessary to help children stop their habit. One solution to thumb/finger sucking is "Bluegrass Appliance," which was developed right here in Kentucky. It consists of bands that fit on top back molars with a wire that spans the depth of your child's palate, where he/she usually puts his/her thumb or finger. On this wire is a plastic roller that spins. Children often are distracted by this appliance and it also serves as a reminder not to such their thumb/finger. This appliance is very effective in children who have shown the desire to stop, but cannot do so on their own. Talk to our doctors about this option as it is not right for everyone.