Saturday, June 23, 2012

Premature Loss of a Baby Second Molar

The baby second molar is the most important tooth in the back part of the mouth during the time the permanent teeth are growing in.  These teeth must be preserved until they are pushed out by their replacement teeth (the second bicuspids), because if the baby second molar is lost early, the first permanent molar will drift forward into its space and block eruption of the second bucuspid, and the teeth in front of that site will drift backward, creating an asymmetry in the dental arch.  A space maintainer or a lingual arch retainer wire attached to the permanent molar will prevent this drifting.

If space has already been lost, it should be referred to an orthodontist immediately.  Braces and space opening coils will be placed to re-open the lost space so the second bicuspid can grow in.

Babysecondmolar

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