EXTRACTIONS – PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY
WHY DOES MY CHILD NEED PEDIATRIC DENTAL EXTRACTIONS?
We make every attempt to save baby teeth since they are very important in the normal eruption of the permanent teeth. However there are times where removing a baby tooth is the best (or only) option. A few reasons for this are: Infected teeth; heavily decayed teeth that can not be restored; or due to crowded permanent teeth erupting in the wrong position.
WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT A BABY TOOTH THAT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED?
As pediatric dentists, one of our major concerns and goals is to help guide the permanent teeth into position. When some baby teeth have to be removed prematurely, space loss can occur which can cause major problems in the future. We often place fixed space maintainers to prevent this.
WHAT IS A SPACE MAINTAINER?
A space maintainer is an appliance used to hold much needed space for the developing permanent teeth. As children age the posterior teeth are constantly trying to move toward the front of the mouth. If a child loses a baby molar early space maintainers may be required to hold the space for the developing permanent tooth underneath and not yet erupted. A failure to address space maintenance can lead to severe problems with crowding in the permanent dentition.