Most children lose their primary teeth or milk teeth by the age of 6 or 7, and in that position develop bigger permanent teeth naturally. As it is a gradual process, they don’t require any special care to fill the space left by their predecessors. If the child loses just a single tooth, that space is maintained by the other teeth, which are in position. But if the child loses its teeth early, maybe due to caries, trauma, or some congenital causes, it would become necessary to keep the space open. When the child loses many teeth together, the remaining teeth may drift into the place to fill the gap and when it is time for the permanent teeth to come, there won’t be enough space for them to come properly and they can come as crooked and/or crowded, which may later require orthodontic treatment. As these misaligned or crowded teeth are very difficult to clean, they can cause dental caries. In central London, dentists solve this problem of shifting of baby teeth with the use of space maintainers, either removable or fixed. The removable space maintainers can be removed and cleaned by the child and can be replaced. These are made of stainless steel and are custom made according to an impression of the child’s mouth. This type is useful in older children who can understand and act according to the dentist’s directions. Removable spacers with artificial tooth on them are also available, which are useful in cases where too many teeth are lost and are highly visible. This is also recommended only for older children, as it requires proper care. If your child has lost teeth from both sides of lower jaw, the spacer can be placed using a lower lingual holding arch. If the molar is not developed, which gives support for fixed space maintainer, another appliance is used which is known as distal shoe appliance. Here, the arm of the appliance is inserted under the gum to keep the space from closing. Space maintainers have to be checked frequently and must be removed once the permanent teeth are ready to erupt. Your child should be instructed to clean the space maintainer regularly by brushing. They should also maintain proper oral hygiene. They should not eat chewable candies, popcorns, and gum. It is also important that kids should not press the space maintainer with tongue or finger, which can dislodge and become hazardous with the risk of swallowing or inhaling. In case of fixed space maintainers, they are cemented to the mouth. They require proper followup to check for the development of the permanent teeth and also to maintain the health of the gum. If the space maintainer is not removed by the time the permanent teeth are ready, it can arrest the eruption of the tooth. While wearing the space maintainers, children can face some difficulty in talking and eating, but that passes off with practice. Therefore, it is ideal to care and keep the baby teeth until the permanent teeth erupt.