The Importance of Baby Teeth

Have you ever wondered about the importance of baby teeth? Or why it’s necessary for these teeth to fall out as children? The Tooth Fairy visit is always exciting, and many kids are excited when losing teeth as it’s a sign of becoming a big kid. But baby teeth have an importance that goes beyond the Tooth Fairy.

Importance of Baby Teeth 

The most important function of baby teeth is to save room in the mouth for the adult teeth to grow into. If kids grew adult teeth right off the bat, these teeth would be too big to learn how to speak and chew with. So, these smaller primary teeth will preserve the spaces for the permanent teeth later on. Additionally, baby teeth help to equally distribute the work of speaking and chewing, which will help to strengthen your child’s jawbone. 

Baby teeth fall out one-by-one instead of all at once. This helps to make the eruption of the adult teeth simpler and more organized. 

If Baby Teeth Are Missing 

There are some reasons why your child may have a baby tooth missing. A tooth may be knocked out by accident or may have to be extracted due to dental cavities or tooth decay. In this situation, the space being saved for the adult tooth may be reclaimed by neighboring baby teeth. This can cause overcrowding of the teeth as your child gets older and the permanent teeth begin to erupt. 

Because of all this, it’s vital to care for your child’s baby teeth. Many parents think that, because baby teeth will fall out anyway, it’s not as important to care for them, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Helping your child learn to care for his or her teeth early on will set the stage for proper oral hygiene habits for life! 

To make an appointment for your child here at Great Outdoors Pediatric Dentistry, please don’t hesitate to contact our Dover, New Hampshire children’s dentist. Baby teeth are our business!