Dentures in children - Christina Cherry

There are various reasons that make dentures useful or necessary in children. The most common include dental accidents, tooth damage from tooth decay, severe misalignment of the jaw and teeth, and a lack of predisposition to one or more teeth.

Milk teeth are usually only replaced if the corresponding tooth has not even been created (i.e. no milk tooth is growing at this point) or the tooth loss occurs so early that it is not advisable to leave the gap untreated until the permanent tooth grows back , The dentures serve less aesthetic than medical or health purposes: If the tooth gap is not closed quickly, this can lead to impaired language development or to deformations, misalignments and damage to the remaining teeth.

Dentures in children can therefore replace both milk teeth and permanent teeth. So-called gap holders are generally used to bridge gaps in the milk dentition. In the permanent dentition, dental implants are particularly useful after a tooth loss, as this natural and firmly anchored dental prosthesis usually heals very quickly and well in children.

No healthy neighboring teeth need to be ground down or maltreated with brackets to secure dental implants. The artificial tooth roots specifically replace the missing or lost ones, and the implant can last for many decades – ideally for the whole Life.

Conventional dentures are also used in children and adolescents to repair or restore damaged teeth. When planning fixed crowns and bridges, the dentist must of course take into account the further growth of his patient. In order to close the gap immediately after a tooth loss, a short or long-term temporary restoration can be used, while the denture is made in the laboratory for the permanent solution.

Dentures in children with no tooth predisposition

The growth of human teeth follows a biological plan. All milk teeth and permanent teeth are already placed in the unborn child’s jaw. The 20 milk teeth break through the gums until the age of four – some newborns even have visible teeth in their mouths. When changing teeth, which is usually completed by the age of 14, the milk teeth recede and fall out while 28 permanent teeth grow back. The last four teeth take a lot more time to grow, which is why they are also called wisdom teeth.

Since every person is an individual, not every bit follows the master plan. It happens that one or more Teeth not applied are and the gaps must be closed sooner or later with dentures. If there is no disposition for the milk tooth, a gap holder can ensure the normal development of phonetics (sound formation / speech) and dentition. If neither the milk tooth nor the permanent tooth is in place, the dentist plans a prosthetic restoration as early as possible and as late as necessary – always with a view to the development of the entire jaw.

If one of the permanent teeth is not attached, a strong, not too small milk tooth can, with good care, serve as a placeholder until well into adulthood: no other tooth presses from underneath against its root, it does not necessarily recede, so the tooth does not become loose on its own.

But because milk teeth have a much softer enamel and wear out faster, such a hero has to be pulled and replaced under the milk teeth at some point – ideally with an implant that does not burden the neighboring teeth and gums and offers the best aesthetics.

If the disposition for an incisor or canine is missing, a special brace can alternatively be made, the the behind the gap molars gently but steadily pulling forward. This allows the entire row of teeth to move a few millimeters forward, thereby closing the gap in the visible area with real teeth. However, dentures for the missing antagonist in the back of the jaw should be planned in a timely manner.

Dentures in children with no tooth predisposition

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