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Band and Loop Space Maintainer

Name: Angle House Orthodontics
Telephone: 03 9817 6427

Why does my child need a space maintainer?

Sometimes children lose baby teeth earlier than expected for reasons such as decay, injury, or just natural loss ahead of time. When this happens, a space maintainer can be used by your orthodontist to hold the spot left by the baby tooth and keep the space available until the permanent tooth emerges.

If the space is not maintained, then the surrounding teeth can shift into the open space, preventing the adult tooth from emerging in the correct position.

Why does my child need a space maintainer?

What does a band and loop space maintainer look like?

The band and loop space maintainer consists of a stainless-steel band that fits around the tooth behind the missing one and a loop or brace that goes over the gum where the missing tooth was and then rests against a tooth in front of it.

This spacer maintains the distance between the teeth to ensure that there's sufficient space for a not-yet-emerged tooth to grow without crowding or overlapping of the other teeth.

What does a band and loop space maintainer look like?

What is the band and loop procedure?

A scan of your child's mouth is taken and a separator is placed between two adjacent molars to open space. At the next appointment, the separator will be removed and the band will be sized around the molar.

The dental laboratory will then custom-make the space maintainer, which will be fitted at a future appointment. Once the permanent tooth begins to erupt, the space maintainer will be removed and the new tooth will take its place.