Baby teeth are there for a reason. One key reason is that they save space for the permanent tooth, which will erupt into its position when the baby tooth is lost normally.
If a primary tooth (baby or milk tooth), has to be removed early due to say, an abscess, or is knocked out in some kind of trauma, a space maintainer may be recommended to save the space. If the space is not preserved, the other teeth may drift causing difficult to treat crowding and orthodontic problems.
There are two types of space maintainers:
Unilateral: Just on one side, usually "replacing" one tooth. You may hear this called a "band and loop".
Bilateral: These are usually cemented with bands on back teeth on both sides connected by a wire just behind the lower incisors. Usually called a Lingual Arch. This can eliminate the need for two unilateral spacers. They are most useful if there is more than one tooth missing or you are trying to keep the lower incisors from tipping.
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