Why should a "Placeholder" be used to replace a prematurely extracted primary molar?

They had to remove my 6-year-old son's abscessed primary molar. Our doctor said that a space maintainer should be made for the permanent tooth that will come from below. Wouldn't the baby tooth fall out anyway? What happens if we don't have a space maintainer installed?

Kedokteran Gigi Anak (Pedodontik)

2 Replies

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Serdar Kılıç

11.09.2026 07:53 TR

@Arda Çelik in reply to:

Definitely get it done, don't neglect it! We did not have it done on my oldest son. The tooth in the back leaned into the gap and the permanent tooth from below came out of the palate because it could not find a place to grow. We had to wear braces for 2 years to fix it.

#113

Uzm. Dt. Büşra Keskin Verified Medical Specialist (Ortodontist (Uzm. Dt.))

11.09.2026 11:02 TR

@Arda Çelik in reply to:

Milk molars are the natural guides of the premolar teeth that will come from below and they maintain their place. When they are lost early, adjacent permanent 6-year-old teeth mesialize (slide forward) towards the extraction space. This situation causes the underlying permanent tooth to remain impacted or become severely crowded. A simple fixed or mobile space-keeping appliance prevents thousands of dollars of difficult wire treatment in the future.

#114

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