If your child loses a baby tooth early due to an injury or extraction from decay, a space maintainer becomes an essential tool. Without a tooth in place, the surrounding teeth will naturally shift into the open gap. A custom space maintainer is a small, comfortable appliance designed to hold those remaining teeth in their proper positions. This keeps the highway clear so your child's future permanent tooth can erupt exactly where it is supposed to, preventing severe crowding and alignment issues down the road.