“DO I NEED TO FIX my child’s baby tooth since it’s going to fall out anyway?” This is a question we get asked a lot as dental professionals. The answer is a resounding YES! Primary, or “baby,” teeth serve an important purpose in your child’s present and future oral health.
Baby Teeth Have Three Main Functions
Besides providing an aesthetic appeal to your child’s smile and boosting their self-esteem, primary teeth have three main functions:
- They aid in proper chewing, fostering good nutrition
- They promote proper speech development
- They reserve a space for permanent teeth to grow in
If a primary tooth falls out or must be removed before its time due to decay, the surrounding teeth may shift into the gap, causing dental crowding and future orthodontic problems. In some cases, untreated infections in baby teeth can even affect the developing permanent teeth.
Taking care of those primary teeth not only prevents decay, but also helps your child get into the habit of good oral hygiene and sets the stage for their future oral health. Baby teeth may fall out but they’re still very important!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN-1dZymGQI?rel=0
Regular Dental Visits Make For A Lifetime of Healthy Smiles
Your child’s first dental visit is an important milestone! Children should visit the dentist when their first tooth appears or around their first birthday.
A February 2005 Children’s Dental Health Project report found that children who visited the dentist by age one were less likely to visit the emergency room for oral health problems. They also found that children age five who had their first dental visit by the age of one incurred less oral health-related costs than their peers who didn’t see a dentist until age five.
On your child’s first visit, we will check their mouth for decay and other problems as well as show parents proper cleaning techniques. Another benefit of early, regular dental visits is that we can determine if a child is at a higher risk for cavities and implement appropriate intervention.
Baby Teeth Matter
Even though they’re temporary, your child’s baby teeth are essential to their growth and development. Teach children to take care of their baby teeth and set them on a lifelong path of good oral hygiene. If you have any questions, call us or comment below!
We love our patients and their beautiful smiles!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
Image by Flickr user Donnie Ray Jones used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.
I didn’t realize that baby teeth were so important. It makes sense that I would want to have my kids get to the dentist. That way we can ensure that my kids get the proper dental treatments.
That’s interesting that kids who went to the dentist by the age of one were less likely to have oral health problems later in life. I can see how that would help them get in good habits right from the start. I’ll have to take my son in when he starts getting teeth.
It’s interesting that loss of baby teeth results in dental crowding. You see a lot of people with misaligned teeth, and now I wonder if it is because of bad dental hygiene as an infant. I am more determined now, to pick a general family dentist and take my kid in as soon as he has teeth.
Kids are fragile and need care extensively, especially their eyes and teeth.
Yeahp they need to be cared and loved
I had no idea that when a child loses a baby tooth too soon, it can cause the surrounding teeth to shift into the gap. My family just moved to a new city, and my son has been complaining about pain around his back teeth. It might be time for us to find a pediatric dentist who can help us figure out what is causing his pain.
I liked that you said that making sure that your child has healthy teeth and gums will help them in chewing. I would imagine that unhealthy teeth would be painful and would make chewing difficult. I will be sure to take my kids to the dentist routinely to ensure proper health of their teeth.
I had no idea that untreated infections in baby teeth can even affect the developing permanent teeth. Personally, I think that going to see a pediatric dentist would save so much time and money in the future because they can make sure the teeth develop properly and won’t need extensive care later on. I’ll have to look more into going to see a pediatric dentist.
I like your tip about how teeth aid in proper speech development. That makes sense considering the tongue uses the teeth to sound out words. I can see now why making sure that your kids have teeth is important to their total growth.
When your child starts losing their baby teeth, it’s seen as a huge milestone for both you and them. If you want to hold on to these happy memories of when they were little, take the proper steps to preserve the tooth through either a memory book or a storage container.
As soon as the teeth start erupting in the mouth, start early cleanings by wrapping a clean gauze pad over your finger tip and wiping the teeth clean with it. A dry gauze pad will work well in place of a toothbrush at this early stage. Do not ignore the front of the tongue as it is a common site for bacteria accumulation.
Thank you for emphasizing that unaddressed infections in baby teeth can affect the growth of the permanent teeth. My son is fond of eating treats, and I’m starting to worry about his oral hygiene. My worry lessened because I know that I can bring him to an experienced pediatric dentist that can check if his oral hygiene is healthy.
I love your dental tips. My teeth hurt. I’ll have to go to the dentist.