When and how the tooth was lost
Explain whether the tooth was extracted, injured, or shed far too early, and give a rough date. Previous records save repeating information. Together these details show where the gap sits in your child’s development.
Children’s Dentistry
Space Maintainers in Burlington
Been told your child needs a space maintainer and want to understand why? Families travelling from Burlington can bring that advice to us, have the gap reviewed, and talk through observation, appliance designs, and the follow-up each one requires.
A Burlington parent’s questionReview a space maintainer recommendation
You were told “spacer.” Here is what that means.
Parents sometimes arrive with a word on a treatment note and little explanation behind it. A space maintainer, often called a spacer, is a small appliance a dentist may suggest after a baby tooth is lost ahead of time. Its job is to stop nearby teeth from drifting into room the adult tooth will need. It is a tool for selected cases, not a standard response to every gap.
Making sense of the advice means looking at the same things the original clinician weighed. Which tooth is missing? How much space is left? How far along is the permanent tooth, and how long has the gap been there? Your child’s wider oral health matters too. The honest answer may be to monitor, to go ahead with an appliance, or to get a pediatric or orthodontic view.
Ask about upkeep as well as purpose. A device needs cleaning, planned reviews, and eventually a decision to adjust, replace, or remove it. You should feel confident about both before agreeing to a fitting.
Coming in with earlier advice
Bring what you were given.
Notes, X-rays, or a treatment estimate from another office all help. You do not need to know whether the advice is right; reviewing it with you is part of the visit.
Information about the adult tooth
Existing images may answer some questions, and new imaging may be needed for others. Age by itself does not predict eruption. Ask what the images show about the permanent tooth and how that informs the choice between monitoring, maintaining space, or referral.
Your child’s routine and oral health
Appliances add surfaces to clean. Tell us about decay, brushing challenges, habits, or any support your child needs. These factors affect whether an appliance can be managed well at home or whether another plan would be better.
If the tooth was lost through injury, make sure that injury has been properly checked. A spacer discussion does not take the place of assessing damaged teeth or tissues.
Purpose and limits
A placeholder for a tooth still developing
In broad terms, a space maintainer helps keep surrounding teeth in place after early loss. It is passive, meaning it is not designed to move teeth back once space has closed. That different goal belongs to orthodontic planning, so ask which applies to your child.
Benefits have to be considered alongside potential problems. Without proper review, an appliance can loosen, break, collect plaque, or interfere with gums or an emerging tooth. It also cannot assure ideal eruption or remove the possibility of braces later.
Patient information: AAPD — developing dentition and space maintenance
A recommendation tied to findings
Good advice links back to the specific missing tooth and the developing dentition. Children of the same age can reasonably be advised differently. Ask what change the appliance is meant to prevent and how it does that.
A plan for regular checks
Reviews assess the device, its supporting teeth, and eruption progress. Confirm which office will see your child for these visits and how often. An appliance should not stay in place indefinitely without someone confirming its purpose.
Shared records and specialist input
When things are more complex, a pediatric dentist or orthodontist may help. Ask why a referral is suggested and how records will be shared between offices. You should end up with one plan you understand.
What the visit covers
Four steps from question to plan
Any appliance should match the clinical picture and your family’s capacity for care. Ask whether the suggested design is fixed or removable, and what that means at home.
Examine and compare
We look at your child’s mouth and go over the history and any records from previous visits. Additional imaging may be suggested where a specific question remains. Describe any discomfort or change you have noticed, not only appearance.
Lay out the options
We discuss the intended benefit, limitations, and responsibilities of each sensible approach, including monitoring. If space has already been lost, we talk about whether orthodontic assessment is the better next step. The review plan is agreed in advance.
Prepare and place the appliance
Depending on the design, records such as measurements or impressions may be needed. At placement, the clinician checks the fit against the teeth and gums. Your child can ask questions about how it feels, and you will know how to raise concerns later.
Teach care and schedule follow-up
We demonstrate cleaning around the device and explain eating or wear instructions. A loose device has its own plan, which we go over before you head back to Burlington. The next visit checks the appliance and the developing tooth together.
Everyday care
Small habits keep the appliance working.
Fixed and removable designs follow different care rules. Use the instructions for your child’s device, and ask before adjusting anything.
Daily brushing around the device
Continue helping your child brush and clean using the method we showed you. Ask how to reach bands and wires safely. Let us know about any area that stays sore or difficult to clean.
Gentle hands, careful foods
Explain to your child that the appliance should not be pushed, pulled, or played with. Follow advice about foods that might loosen it. If something changes, avoid any home tightening, bending, or gluing.
Ongoing fit and eruption reviews
Attend planned checks even if the appliance feels fine. Tell the clinician about a new tooth coming through or a change in how the device sits. As growth continues, adjustment or removal is planned professionally.
Second-look questions(905) 876-4488
Questions worth asking about a spacer
Advice depends on the individual child. Ask how a recommendation applies to your child’s tooth rather than relying on general rules.
Is it reasonable to ask for a second opinion on a spacer recommendation?
Yes. Understanding why an appliance is suggested is part of informed consent. Bring any records and notes you have so the review can build on existing information rather than repeating it.
Why might two dentists suggest different things for the same gap?
Clinicians weigh eruption stage, remaining space, oral health, and practical factors, and timing between visits can change the picture. Ask each to explain their reasoning so you can compare the basis for the advice.
What is the difference between a fixed and a removable design?
A fixed appliance is attached to supporting teeth, while a removable one can be taken out for cleaning. Each suits different situations and has its own care demands. Ask which is proposed and why it suits your child.
Does a space maintainer close or open gaps?
Neither, in the usual sense. A passive maintainer aims to hold existing space. Recovering lost room is a separate goal that may require orthodontic assessment.
If our original dentist fits the appliance, who handles the reviews?
Confirm this before treatment. Follow-up should be clearly assigned so someone is checking the appliance and eruption at planned intervals. Ask which office to call if the device loosens.
My child’s spacer looks fine. Do we still need to come in?
Yes. Appearance does not show whether the supporting teeth, cement, gums, and developing tooth are all doing well. Keep the agreed visits and mention any new tooth or symptom. Call if attending becomes difficult.
From Burlington
Get the reasoning, not just the recommendation.
Contact our Bronte Street practice to review a spacer recommendation, an existing appliance, or a gap from an early-lost baby tooth. Bring records and earlier advice so we can make the most of the visit.
We may or may not recommend an appliance. Advice and any referral depend on your child’s development and findings.
Visit Milton Dental ClinicUnit 1, 342 Bronte St. S, Milton, ON L9T 5B7Get directions
Clinic hours
- Monday–Thursday
- 11am–7pm
- Friday–Sunday
- By appointment only
Areas we serve
- Milton
- Oakville
- Mississauga
- Georgetown
- Halton Hills
- Acton
- Campbellville
- Brampton
- Burlington
- Puslinch
- Rockwood
- Erin
- Caledon
- Etobicoke
- Old Milton
- Bronte Meadows
- Timberlea
- Dorset Park
- Dempsey
- Clarke
- Beaty
- Coates
- Harrison
- Scott
- Willmott
- Ford
- Bowes
- Cobden
- Walker
- Mountain View
- Milton Heights
- Hawthorne Village
- Valley View
- Fallingbrook
- Nassagaweya
- Trafalgar
- Esquesing
- Nelson
- Brookville
- Moffat
- Glen Williams
- Norval
- Limehouse
- Stewarttown
- Ashgrove
- Hornby
- Silver Creek
- Speyside
- Scotch Block
- North Oakville
- River Oaks
- Glen Abbey
- West Oak Trails
- Palermo
- Bronte Creek
- College Park
- Joshua Creek
- Uptown Core
- Preserve
- Iroquois Ridge
- Lisgar
- Meadowvale
- Meadowvale Village
- Churchill Meadows
- Erin Mills
- Central Erin Mills
- Streetsville
- East Credit
- Creditview
- Heartland
- Sheridan
- Mount Pleasant
- Credit Valley
- Huttonville
- Churchville
- Springbrook
- Northwest Brampton
- Bram West
- Fletcher's Meadow
- Fletcher's Creek South
- Alton Village
- Orchard
- Millcroft
- Headon Forest
- Tansley
- Brant Hills
- Tyandaga
- Kilbride
- Lowville
- Aberfoyle
- Morriston
- Arkell
- Hillsburgh
- Freelton
- Carlisle
- Waterdown
- Flamborough
- Mountsberg
