Though many parents think of “teenagers” when presented with the term “dental appliances,” the use of such appliances in young children is very common. Some dental appliances may be recommended for preventative purposes, while others may be recommended for treatment purposes.
It can be extremely difficult to encourage young children to wear removable dental appliances regularly, but there is some good news. Pediatric dental appliances can prevent injury to the teeth and may also reduce (or even eliminate) the need for extensive treatment later.
What types of pediatric dental appliance are most common?
There are many types of pediatric dental appliances – each one fulfilling a different dental function. The two most common categories of pediatric dental appliance are described below:
Mouth Guards
The Canadian Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (CAPD) and Canadian Dental Association (CDA) recommend that children wear mouth guards when engaging in any potentially injurious activity, including sporting and recreational endeavors.
The pediatric dentist can craft a customized mouth guard for the child, or a thermoplastic “boil-and-bite” mouth guard can be purchased at a sporting goods store. Similar mouth guards are used for children who “brux” or grind their teeth at night.
Space Maintainers
Sometimes, primary (baby) teeth are lost prematurely due to trauma or decay. Adjacent teeth tend to shift to fill the space, causing spacing and alignment problems for permanent (adult) teeth. Space maintainers or “spacers” are inserted as placeholders until the permanent teeth are ready to erupt.
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Fixed space maintainers – Depending on the position of the missing tooth and the condition of the surrounding teeth, the pediatric dentist may adhere a “band and loop,” a “crown and loop,” or a “distal shoe” type of spacer to fill the empty gap. All spacers fulfill the same function; just the nature of the attachment to the adjacent teeth differs. Fixed spacers are usually made of metal and are highly durable. If a highly visible tooth is missing, an acrylic button may be added to reduce the esthetic impact.
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Removable space maintainers – Removable spacers are rarely used with young children. Working a little like orthodontic retainers, special plastic parts fit into the empty slot to prevent the “drifting” of adjacent teeth.
If you have questions or concerns about dental appliances, please contact your pediatric dentist.
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