Placeholder

Placeholder

The main purpose of dentistry is to ensure that the jaws, teeth and surrounding tissues are protected as a support for the healthy positioning of their locations. Today, various studies have tried to prevent the crowding and irregularities observed due to early loss of early milk teeth.

Milk teeth guide the permanent teeth that will erupt soon. If milk teeth are lost prematurely due to caries or trauma, it causes crowding as it moves towards the extraction gaps of the neighboring teeth.

What is the Purpose of Placeholders?

These are apparatus used to prevent the neighboring teeth from heading towards the extraction gap and thus leaving the permanent tooth either impacted or erupt from a different position, thus preventing the formation of orthodontic disorders in the future.

The gap created by the lost tooth should be protected with placeholder support until the permanent tooth below erupts. Prepared carefully by dental technicians, placeholders are designed suitably for tooth and jaw structures of children. Their application and use are quite portable.

Various factors are considered in preparation process of placeholders. Based on tooth development, number and location of lost teeth of the children, placeholders can be designed with fixed or moving positions. Placeholders should be kept in the mouth until the permanent tooth under the milk tooth extracted erupt.

Features of Placeholders - Fixed Placeholders

• A single session is sufficient for application.
• They do not cause periodontal problems.
• They do not cause metal allergies.
• They are very close to natural teeth.

Movable Placeholders

• They can be applied in cases of multiple tooth loss.
• They have the purpose of completing occlusal function and tooth deficiency.

It is aimed to keep the milk teeth in the mouth until the time of falling. Why?

• Milk teeth ensure nutrition.
• They ensure that the jaws develop in the highest quality in normal positions.
• They provide speech, phonation and aesthetics.
• They protect the underlying permanent dental germ from trauma.
• They act as placeholders.

Some factors to be considered after gluing the placeholders into the mouth;

• Sticky foods such as gum and caramel should not be consumed. This type of food exerts tensile force and causes the placeholder to dislodge.
• In cases where the placeholders are dislodged, it can be glued again by consulting to an orthodontist or pedodontist right away.
• Placeholder should not be pressed with tongue or finger.
• The surroundings of the placeholder should be kept clean and brushed regularly.
• Regular dentist check is required after gluing the placeholders.
• If the placeholder is broken or crushed due to chewing forces, it must be replaced with a new one.

How Are Placeholders Maintained?

Fixed placeholders are maintained like other teeth. You should take care to brush around it on a daily basis. Moving placeholders should be removed while eating. Apparatus should be worn again after eating and brushing teeth.