01 Space Maintainers
✓ Medically reviewed by Dr. Neel Bhatavadekar, Periodontist & Implantologist
A space maintainer is a small, custom-fitted appliance that holds open the space left by a baby tooth lost earlier than expected, preventing neighboring teeth from drifting into the gap before the permanent tooth beneath is ready to erupt.
At Clarus Dental Specialities in Koregaon Park, a space maintainer for your child is planned and delivered directly by Dr. Neel Bhatavadekar, Pune's only US Board Certified Periodontist and Implantologist.
Patients usually choose this for: a baby tooth lost early visible drifting of neighboring teeth time remaining before the permanent tooth erupts preventing future crowding
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Did your child lose a tooth earlier than expected? Call to confirm.
Quick answer: A space maintainer is a small, custom-fitted appliance, most commonly a band-and-loop design, placed to hold open the space left by a baby tooth lost earlier than expected. It prevents neighboring teeth from drifting into that gap before the permanent tooth beneath is ready to erupt naturally. It's a preventive, structural device, not an active treatment that moves teeth. In Koregaon Park, Pune, space maintainers are assessed and fitted directly by Dr. Neel Bhatavadekar, a US Board Certified Periodontist and Implantologist.
Before You Book
But if you want treatment backed by science and done by a US Board Certified Specialist, you're in the right chair.
02 Overview
Baby teeth act as natural placeholders for the permanent teeth developing beneath them. When one is lost significantly earlier than planned, from decay, trauma, or extraction, the neighboring teeth can drift into that empty space surprisingly quickly, sometimes within weeks or months.
That drifting narrows the space before the permanent tooth is ready to erupt, which can lead to crowding or a delayed, complicated eruption later, sometimes requiring more involved orthodontic correction than would otherwise have been needed.
A space maintainer holds that gap open mechanically, without moving or straightening any teeth itself, simply keeping the space available until the permanent tooth is ready to come in on its own.
03 Candidacy
The key factor is how much time remains before the permanent tooth is due to erupt.
04 Background
It's easy to assume a gap from a lost baby tooth will simply wait for the permanent tooth to arrive. In practice, neighboring teeth can begin drifting into that space within weeks, well before most parents would expect, let alone before the permanent tooth is ready.
Once that drifting happens, the space available for the permanent tooth is narrower than it should be, which can mean a delayed, crowded, or complicated eruption when it does finally come in.
A space maintainer sidesteps that entire problem by holding the space mechanically from early on, so the permanent tooth has a clear, correctly-sized path when it's ready.
05 Options
The specific appliance depends on which tooth was lost and what's erupted around it.
A band on the neighboring tooth connected to a loop holding the space, the most common single-tooth solution.
Used when the permanent first molar hasn't erupted yet, guiding it into the correct position.
A removable appliance used in specific situations instead of a fixed one.
06 Procedure
The position and expected eruption timing of the permanent tooth is assessed on X-ray.
A precise impression or digital scan of the space and neighboring teeth is taken.
The appliance is custom-made to fit the specific gap and neighboring teeth.
The appliance is fitted, checked for comfort and function, and cemented in place.
The fit is checked at intervals until the permanent tooth erupts.
07 Cost Factors
Cost depends on individual case factors and is discussed only after examination, once the following are known:
A specific estimate is only meaningful after a clinical evaluation. This section is informational and is not a quotation.
If a space maintainer has already been recommended elsewhere, Dr. Neel is available to review the X-ray and confirm the specific appliance and timing genuinely fit your child's case.
08 Aftercare
A brief adjustment period getting used to the appliance is normal.
Normal brushing and flossing continues around the appliance.
Fit is monitored at routine visits as your child continues to grow.
The appliance is removed once the permanent tooth has erupted into place.
09 Limits
Being upfront about the trade-offs matters:
10 Your Visit
Your child's visit includes an examination and X-ray to assess the permanent tooth's timing, followed by taking an impression or scan if a space maintainer is recommended, with the custom appliance fitted at a follow-up visit.
11 Why This Clinic
BDS (Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai) · Postgraduate periodontology training, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA · Diplomate, American Board of Periodontology (2008) · ITI Fellow, International Team for Implantology (2009)
Fitting an appliance that holds space correctly depends on understanding how a child's jaw is developing, an area Dr. Neel, Pune's only US Board Certified Periodontist and Implantologist and one of only two in India, evaluates closely before recommending one.
The permanent tooth's expected eruption is checked before recommending an appliance.
Each appliance is made from an accurate impression of your child's specific space.
Fit is checked at routine visits right through to the appliance's removal.
The only dental clinic in Pune listed by the US Consulate Mumbai.
Patients can also read independent reviews on Google and Practo.
12 Visit Us
This dentist and dental clinic in Koregaon Park also treats patients from nearby areas of Pune. See the full Koregaon Park clinic page →
13 International Patients
Clarus Dental Specialities is the only dental clinic in Pune listed by the US Consulate Mumbai, and Dr. Neel holds a dual US-India dental license, giving NRI and overseas patients confidence in the standard of cosmetic dental care available here.
Because fitting typically takes two visits, an initial impression and a separate fitting appointment, it's worth planning around both during a family's trip to Pune, with periodic checks arranged afterward.
14 FAQ
Because neighboring teeth can drift into the space quickly, narrowing it before the permanent tooth is ready, which can cause crowding or a complicated eruption later.
No, fitting is not painful, there may be a brief adjustment period getting used to it in the mouth.
Until the permanent tooth beneath is ready to erupt, this varies by case and is estimated from X-ray at the start.
Occasionally, this is checked and corrected at routine visits.
Normal brushing and flossing around the appliance is sufficient, with routine visits to check it.
The space maintainer is removed, having done its job of keeping the space open.
No, a space maintainer only holds space, it doesn't move or straighten teeth the way braces do.
1. Clinical literature on premature primary tooth loss and space management, indexed on PubMed Central. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc
2. Dr. Neel Bhatavadekar's peer-reviewed publications, indexed on PubMed. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Call or WhatsApp the clinic directly to ask questions or set up a cosmetic dentistry consultation with Dr. Neel Bhatavadekar.
This page provides general dental information and does not constitute a diagnosis, treatment plan, or medical advice. Outcomes vary by individual case. No specific results, costs, or timelines are guaranteed. Please consult Dr. Neel Bhatavadekar or a qualified specialist for advice specific to your condition.
