Space Maintainers

If your child loses a baby tooth earlier than expected or needs it removed due to other complications, they will require a Space Maintainer. These keep the space secure for when the adult tooth does erupt from the gum line. If your child needs a space maintainer, contact Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces right away. We have various offices in the Phoenix, AZ, area that can accommodate your needs.

It’s important to understand why exactly your child requires a space maintainer before having it done. The baby teeth are important for the healthy development of the mouth. The baby tooth is what guides its adult counterpart into place. When it’s missing, other teeth will try to accommodate for the gap. Teeth that move or partially obstruct the gum prevent the adult tooth from erupting normally. The space maintainer prevents all of that from happening.

There are two types of space maintainers available: removable and fixed. Your Phoenix, AZ, dentist will recommend which is best for your child. Removable maintainers are often made of acrylic and are very similar to orthodontic apparatuses. Fixed maintainers come in four separate kinds: unilateral, crown and loop, lingual, and distal shoe.

The unilateral and crown and loop space maintainers work similarly. These are placed on one side of the mouth to keep the space open. A crown and loop consist of an actual crown placed on an adjacent tooth. The loop attaches to the crown and extends over the space, protecting it from other teeth. The unilateral wraps around the perimeter of the nearby tooth and use a metal loop to keep the space clear.

The distal shoe is a more advanced space maintainer, commonly used with molars. The end of the maintainer is inserted into the gum line.

The lingual space maintainer connects the molars to the front tire with a wire.

Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces top-tier pediatric dental services. We have three separate offices located in the Phoenix, AZ, area. Visit https://www.kidzconnextion.com/ to learn more about our services or schedule an appointment. Call 623-232-0749 for our N. 75th Ave. office, 480-666-5984 for N. 24th St., and 480-405-4714 for E. Baseline Rd.

Over-Retained Baby Teeth

At some point in everyone’s childhood, their baby teeth inevitably fall out. This isn’t always the case. Over-retained baby teeth need proper evaluation, monitoring, and possibly removal. When a baby tooth doesn’t exfoliate, the adult teeth cannot properly erupt. Schedule an appointment for your child with Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces right away. Our pediatric dentists in the Phoenix, AZ, area are here to help.

There are a few causes for over-retained baby teeth. It’s important that your child receives an evaluation to determine why. Your Phoenix, AZ, dentist performs a dental examination and takes X-rays. This will provide you with the answers you need. The most common reason is that your child is missing permanent teeth. Hence, there is nothing to push out the baby tooth. A more rare possibility is that the baby tooth is fused to the bone.

Here are a few other possibilities for an over-retained baby tooth:
-Obstructions in the jaw or mouth
-Misalignment of the baby or permanent tooth
-Infection
-Trauma or injury to the specific area
-A late or slow eruption of the permanent tooth

Treatment depends entirely upon the tooth and the condition it is in. If the tooth does not require interference, it is left how it is. A weirdly shaped baby tooth is safe to leave retained with modification. Lastly, a crooked or strangely positioned retained tooth will require an extraction.

Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces top-tier pediatric dental services. We have three separate offices located in the Phoenix, AZ, area. Visit https://www.kidzconnextion.com/ to learn more about our services or schedule an appointment. Call 623-232-0749 for our N. 75th Ave. office, 480-666-5984 for N. 24th St., and 480-405-4714 for E. Baseline Rd.

Cleaning Your Children's Teeth

At Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces we advise patients to brush their children’s baby teeth as soon as they develop. Good dental hygiene starts at a young age and installs good habits in your children. Before your baby’s teeth come in, we encourage you to clean your baby’s gums with a warm cloth to clean off excess food and to keep their gums clean.

At the age of three, you can use a dab of toothpaste to brush your child’s teeth and just water and a soft-bristled toothbrush before they turn three. Preventing cavities is important because baby teeth act as placeholders for permanent teeth.

Remember to brush or wipe your baby’s teeth after every meal to prevent tooth decay. When tooth decay forms, it can lead to gum disease and then gingivitis which can cause spacing problems for their permanent teeth.

When your children are old enough, show them how to brush their teeth themselves. The younger children know how to brush and floss the more likely they are to carry those habits for the rest of their life.

To schedule an appointment, please visit one of the Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces offices located around the Phoenix area, or visit our website or call our offices.

Retained Baby Teeth

Losing baby teeth is usually an exciting milestone for children, but sometimes, teeth don’t fall out when they should. There are several reasons why baby teeth might stay past their time, but at Kidz Connextion Dental and Braces, we’ll figure out what’s going on and make a treatment plan.

As adult teeth erupt, they dissolve the roots of the baby teeth ahead of them. If all goes well, the baby teeth will fall out shortly before adult teeth move in to take their place. When the baby teeth remain in position, we call them “retained deciduous teeth.” This often happens when the adult teeth come in at an angle or in a different position from the baby teeth, leaving the child with two sets of the same teeth. This most commonly affects the lower incisors. In these cases, we would recommend extracting the baby teeth because it will be impossible to effectively brush them and they could cause bite problems.

Another common reason for baby teeth to remain in place is that there is no adult tooth coming in to push it out. This can happen for genetic reasons and is more common in girls. It would require more extensive treatments to correct, but it probably doesn’t mean the child’s health is in danger. Baby teeth might also have to be extracted if their roots are fused to the jaw bone and show no signs of weakening. But we don’t want to extract baby teeth when there is still a possibility a permanent tooth will push it out naturally, which is why it’s important for us to be able to do regular assessments.

Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces maintains offices around Phoenix. To find out more, visit our website at Kidz Connextion.