Many people think that because children lose their baby teeth, keeping them healthy doesn't really matter. After all, a full set of adult teeth will come through the replace the 'milk teeth' when they're lost. However, your health of your kid's baby teeth is extremely important.
Here's why you should look after your child's baby teeth and ensure that they have regular dental check-ups.
The important role of baby teeth
The baby or 'primary' teeth perform a number of practical functions:
- they allow the child to grasp food
- they grind the food into pieces that can then be swallowed
- they make contact points for the child's tongue so that it can speak
- they make the face appear 'normal'
Baby teeth also serve an important purpose in the development of the child's mouth, providing a guide for the correct eruption of the adult teeth. Primary teeth also help to preserve the correct spacing of the adult teeth in the child's jaw. If one or more of these teeth is missing, the adult teeth may emerge crooked or overlapping, meaning that the child's bite is permanently and adversely affected, and a lengthy course of remedial orthodontic treatment will be necessary in order to correct it.
If many baby teeth are lost prematurely and are not replaced with spacers, the child's facial skeletal development may be affected, leading to problems with a malformed jawline and potentially permanent speech impediments.
Saving diseased baby teeth
One of the main causes of tooth decay in children is eating too much sugary food. Tooth decay can cause the baby teeth to become so damaged that removal is necessary. If a child has a baby tooth removed, the dentist will probably recommend fitting a temporary 'space saver' in the gap left behind. This is important to preserve the correct eruption of the adult tooth beneath.
Alternatively, root canal treatment may be required to save the tooth and to prevent painful abscesses from developing.
Sometimes the dentist may be able to save the tooth by disinfecting and sealing it with a stainless steel dental crown. This will help to restore the function and shape of the tooth, allowing the child to eat and speak normally.
In conclusion
The health of your child's baby teeth is extremely important for the reasons outlined above. You can help to prevent tooth decay in the primary teeth by restricting the amount of sugars that your child eats and by ensuring that they attend the dentist regularly for routine check-ups and cleaning.
