LINGUAL ARCH AS SPACE MAINTAINER IN EARLY LOSS OF DECIDUOUS TEETH

Abstract

Deciduous teeth maintain the space, so mesio-distal as cervico-occlusal, for proper positioning of permanent teeth. When deciduous teeth are lost early, adjacent teeth can migrate to loss region, leading to: closure or reduction of space destinated to eruption of permanent successor tooth, reduction the arc and extrusion of antagonist tooth. Keeping the length of the dental arch, when there is early loss, to the eruption of permanent teeth, is an activity of great importance in the malocclusion prevention. The Lingual Arch is a fixed space maintainer appliance consisting of an passive arc tangent to lingual surface of the lower incisors at the time of cervical thirds, and their ends are soldered in lingual surface of bands installed at first permanent molars. Its function is to maintain space between the first permanent molars and mandibular permanent incisors in cases of early bilateral loss of one or more deciduos molars. The aim of this review is describe the clinical and laboratorial confection phases of Lingual Arch, illustrating with a case report in which it was applied.