Dental Placeholders

By: Güzin Kırsaçlıoğlu, MD.

Milk teeth may be prematurely lost due to decays or trauma. If your child has lost a milk tooth prematurely as a result of these elements, they require placeholders to protect the room for their permanent teeth to erupt. In order for your child to have a good line of teeth, placeholders should be used to protect the places of their future permanent teeth.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLACEHOLDERS

Children have 20 milk teeth, 10 on the upper jaw and 10 on the lower one. In addition, they have teeth that shall erupt at the age of 6 and stay there for the rest of their lives. There are permanent teeth below milk teeth. Milk teeth help these permanent teeth come up with the pressure they apply on permanent teeth. In early losses of milk teeth, the pressure cannot be applied and the permanent teeth erupts prematurely. As teeth lock in place in line with the facial development, the neighboring teeth shift into the room exposed for permanent teeth after the loss of milk teeth and close the gap.

When the permanent teeth fail to erupt into their designated space, crookedness and orthodontic problems are encountered at early ages.

TYPES OF PLACEHOLDERS

There are two types of placeholders:

– Immobile

– Mobile.

THE ROLE OF PLACEHOLDERS

– Placeholders prevent the other teeth from shifting into the exposed space and thus protect the place of permanent teeth,

– Prevent future crookedness issues,

– Alleviate the negative (psychological) impact of especially the loss of incisor teeth on children.

MAINTENANCE OF PLACEHOLDERS

Immobile Placeholders: These are treated, maintained and brushed like normal teeth. Sticky materials like gums should be avoided.

Mobile Placeholders: They should be removed when eating. After meals, they should be brushed and put back into place. Children, especially school children, have a tendency to lose their placeholders during meals. Hence, they should bring along the special boxes of their placeholders. Their placeholders should be placed into these boxes as soon as they are removed.