🦷 Dental Aftercare
Space Maintainer Aftercare Instructions
A day-by-day recovery guide for space maintainer: what to expect, how to care for yourself, and when to call. Free to read and print.
Typical recovery: about 5 daysDental
What to expect
Why It Matters
- •Holds the space open so the permanent tooth can grow in correctly
- •Without it, neighboring teeth can drift and cause crowding
- •Regular dental visits will monitor the permanent tooth's progress
Space Maintainer recovery, day by day
Day 0 (Placement Day)
Getting Used to It
- Your child may feel the device with their tongue; this is normal
- Mild discomfort for 1-2 days as the mouth adjusts
- Avoid pushing or pulling on the maintainer with fingers or tongue
Diet
- Avoid sticky candy, gum, fruit snacks, and caramel
- Avoid very hard foods like ice, hard candy, and popcorn kernels
- Cut apples and carrots into small pieces instead of biting into them
Day 1-5
Daily Care
- Brush around the maintainer carefully with a soft brush
- Floss around the device as shown by your dentist
- Check regularly that the maintainer is firmly in place
- The maintainer stays until the permanent tooth is ready to come in
When to call your provider or 911
- •The maintainer becomes loose or falls off
- •Gum tissue around the device is red, swollen, or bleeding
- •Child complains of increasing pain after the first 2-3 days
- •Difficulty eating or the device is rubbing a sore
When in doubt, call your clinic. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Recovery milestones
- Day 3
Mouth adjusts
Discomfort resolves, child eating normally
- Day 5
Check-up
Monitor maintainer fit and permanent tooth progress
For clinics
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