Every parent with a teething baby has probably wondered at one point or another if baby teeth are really all that important. The short answer is: yes!
A baby’s primary teeth, commonly called baby teeth, usually start to appear when a baby is 3-4 months old, with all 20 coming in by age three. However, every child is different, and their teeth may come in a little earlier or later.
Each of these 20 teeth is very important, even if they haven’t come in yet. Yes, they will eventually fall out to make room for a child’s secondary teeth, commonly called adult teeth, but that does not lessen their importance.
Children need baby teeth to learn to chew food properly and easily.
If a child didn’t have their primary teeth, they would never be able to progress to solid foods.
These teeth help children speak more clearly and quickly.
Have you ever thought about how much you use your teeth when you speak? If you didn’t have your teeth, many sounds would be much more difficult or nearly impossible to make.
Baby teeth act as placeholders for adult teeth.
In the natural course of things, a baby tooth will remain in a child’s mouth until the adult tooth beneath it is ready to emerge through the gums. At this point, the roots of the baby tooth dissolve, causing the tooth to become loose and eventually fall out. The adult tooth generally starts to come in a few weeks later.
If a baby tooth is lost early, either due to an accident or extraction, the space still needs to be preserved until the adult tooth is ready to come in. If the teeth on either side of the open space drift into the empty space, there may not be room for the adult tooth to come in. This can result in adult teeth being improperly positioned, resulting in crooked teeth that may eventually require the use of expensive braces or retainers to correct.
Your child’s dentist may choose to use a space maintainer, a small device that encloses the space to be saved. This prevents other teeth from moving into the empty space.
Baby teeth are just as likely to get cavities as adult teeth.
Preventing the early loss of a baby tooth to decay means introducing proper oral hygiene habits very early; you can even begin before your baby’s first tooth comes in. Gently clean a baby’s gums after each feeding. This can be done with a cool, damp cloth.
When your baby’s teeth start coming in, brush their teeth with a specially designed baby toothbrush and non-fluoride toothpaste, also called training toothpaste, twice a day. This, along with letting your child see that you brush your teeth regularly, can lead to a lifelong habit of good oral hygiene.
You should also choose a good pediatric dentist to help your child grow up with a happy, healthy smile.
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Every parent with a teething baby has probably wondered at one point or another if baby teeth are really all that important. The short answer is: yes!
