Anonymous wrote:My DD had a back molar pulled at age 7 and the dentist is just watching it. Did anyone have a tooth pulled and not use one?

My Neice didn’t have a space holder because my brother and his wife have no spine. Saved fights with a seven year old but made orthodontia much harder.

We are. DC is 9, has had a band and loopfor almost three years. Once had to have it reinstalled bc DC ate gummy food that loosened it.

Looking forward to adult teeth coming in and this being removed.

bump. anyone using a space maintainer for a pulled tooth?

I think most kids keep it until around age 11 when the molars begin to grow in. My ortho said most people keep it in a year or so if they get it around age 9.

My daughter is 8 and we don't have one. The dentist thinks that the accumulation of plaque on the permanent 6 year molar can be problematic with them. Has anyone else used these and had problems with subsequent cavities?

My DD had a back molar pulled at age 7 and the dentist is just watching it. Did anyone have a tooth pulled and not use one?

Anonymous wrote:My son worked it out of his mouth within a day or two. I knew it wasn't going to last as soon as they put it in.

I have looked at images online, and I think his was way too distracting and problematic. We didn't have the one called band and loop. If I had known there were different types I would have at least asked if we could have that one.

I'm 10:19, above. We had the band and loop. In the three (?) years we had it (the big tooth came in earlier than we expected) I think we had one problem that caused us to make an urgent orthodontist appointment. It didn't hurt going in, I don't think, but my child was so freaked about the whole thing (the baby tooth had to be pulled at the oral surgeon the day before) that she couldn't approach it rationally.

My son worked it out of his mouth within a day or two. I knew it wasn't going to last as soon as they put it in.

I have looked at images online, and I think his was way too distracting and problematic. We didn't have the one called band and loop. If I had known there were different types I would have at least asked if we could have that one.

OP here! Thanks so much for the responses. I've got an anxious child too - how long was the process to get the maintainer in? Is it painful?

Same response as PP except that food (usually pieces of vegetables) does get stuck in there sometimes. It's not really a fun activity but it doesn't take long to fish it out though.

DD claims it's not uncomfortable. Much better than a retainer IME as there is almost no maintenance. Can't eat gummy foods but those are so bad for your teeth anyway that this is a good thing. Or you can have your child eat them on the other side of the mouth.

My son (7) has one and we have had no real issues with it. He has asked a few times about how long it will be in. We answer honestly that it is there until the tooth grows in which will probably be when he is 10 or 11. No problem with food getting stuck. In the scheme of things that we have dealt with as parents this was way low on the scale of problems.

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Did you encounter any problems? Was it hard to brush around the maintainer? Was it uncomfortable?

After the initial experience getting it put in, which was very difficult for my anxious child, we had no problems at all. There were some foods she wasn't supposed to eat; we followed the guidelines only loosely and had no problems.

Yes! Did you encounter any problems? Was it hard to brush around the maintainer? Was it uncomfortable?

My child got a space maintainer after she lost a tooth following a playground fall. The spacer was needed until the big tooth came in so that jaw development wouldn't be impacted. Is that what you mean? No one mentioned a removable retainer to us and I would not have wanted anything that could be removed (that is, lost).

What was your child's experience with a space maintainer? Would you have preferred a removable retainer instead ?