Have you ever wondered why you might want to use space maintainers for mixed dentition cases? There are several possible reasons to use these in your ortho cases, but it’s important to make sure that you’re still giving the patient the proper treatment plan – and these tools may not always be helpful.

What is a Space Maintainer?

First of all, we need to consider what a space maintainer is. Well, it’s really as simple as it sounds: a tool that’s used to help maintain the space between teeth. There are several options available here for orthodontics cases, such as lingual arches, nances, removables, and TPAs.

When to Use Space Maintainers

You might want to use space maintainers for numerous reasons, but the most common reason to use one is simply in cases where a patient has lost a tooth. In these scenarios, if a tooth is missing, using a space maintainer may help. In addition, patients with a very slight Class II or Class III where there has been marginal slippage may benefit from a space maintainer, depending on the scenario. If you have any questions about this, don’t hesitate to contact our experts here at Straight Smile Solutions for further support regarding when to – and when not to – use space maintainers.

It’s important to recognize that the transverse must always be correct at the outset before using space maintainers as part of a treatment plan. So, if there’s any crowding or the jaw is narrow, you probably won’t want to use space maintainers as part of the treatment plan.