How is room saved for permanent teeth?
Baby teeth hold room for the permanent teeth that will come in later. A lower lingual arch space maintainer can be placed when the baby canine and baby molars are getting loose or fall out prematurely. The space maintainer prevents the lower back permanent molars from slipping forward and prevents the lower front permanent incisor teeth from tipping toward the tongue. This saves or preserves the maximum amount of space for the permanent teeth (canines and bicuspids) that grow between the permanent back molars and the permanent lower incisors. An upper holding arch works on the same principals and is placed on the upper arch to maintain space that may be lost.
