When Your Child Loses a Tooth

For most children, losing a tooth is exciting. It means they are growing up, getting their permanent teeth. They might even be visited by the tooth fairy. When a primary (baby) tooth is lost prematurely, however, it can cause problems with proper jaw development and future permanent teeth. If your child loses a tooth after falling off their bike or if they need a tooth removed because of dental decay/disease, the adult teeth may not be ready to come up. At Lake Worth Children's Dentistry, we can help prevent the problems caused by early tooth loss.

A Well-Aligned Dentition

When your child loses a tooth early, we’ll use space maintainers to take their place. A healthy dentition supports normal jaw development. They also save space for a child’s permanent teeth and help those adult teeth to grow in the proper place. If your child loses a tooth before the permanent tooth has moved to take its place, a space maintainer can take over the function of the lost baby tooth. Our space maintainers will help ensure your child’s jaw develops naturally and prevent space loss and other dental problems.

Preventing Future Orthodontic Treatment

When there is open space in your child’s jaw from lost teeth, it invites other teeth to fill the gap. Teeth around the lost tooth may shift or tilt to fill the empty space. This decreases the amount of space the permanent teeth have to grow, causing them to come in crookedly. Through the use of space maintainers, our dental team can help prevent this movement from happening. Primary teeth are a prime space keeper, usually guiding adult teeth to grow into the proper place.

Schedule an Appointment

If your child’s tooth is lost early, or even more so if an emergency has just resulted in a tooth being lost, call our office. Our friendly staff will gladly answer any questions you have and work with you to schedule an appointment.