[1] As defined by the American Dental Association and The American Association of Orthodontists, pre-eruption guidance therapy is a treatment method instituted with the use of bimaxillary bilateral removable space maintainers and the removal of the maxillary right and left deciduous cuspids [baby teeth] at very specific times to allow for a more optimal eruption pattern for permanent teeth to enter the mouth.
Pre-eruption guidance is distinctive because unlike other approaches, a patients' treatment results are achieved physiologically through muscle movements and removable functional spacer maintainers.
This alleviates the need for braces to mechanically align or essentially repair the effects of mature teeth that erupted misaligned and crowded.
Additionally, patients undergoing pre-eruption guidance therapy often do not require a later phase of treatment involving application of fixed braces or permanent tooth extractions performed by an oral surgeon.
Patients may also avoid more expensive, later staged treatments involving permanent tooth extractions, longer time with fixed appliances, and additional visits to the orthodontist.