5 Reasons to Care for Baby Teeth?
We sometimes assume that because baby teeth are not permanent a child’s oral care can be a bit more relaxed than an adult’s oral care. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t the case. Baby teeth, or primary teeth, are just as important as permanent teeth, even if they are going to fall out. Still not convinced? Here are five reasons why you should take care of your child’s baby teeth as best as possible.
Reason One
The first reason is one of the most obvious, although we may forget how important this is because we take advantage of it. A child’s baby teeth are important because they allow for the child to intake food. Biting and chewing is extremely difficult without teeth, so keeping them feeling good and healthy is very important. No child wants to lose a tooth early and end up waiting years to get it back due to poor oral care. Additionally, what child wants to feel pain when biting or chewing due to a cavity?
Reason Two
Another reason why care for baby teeth is important is because these early teeth contribute to the development and growth of the child’s jaw bones. Without baby teeth, the jaw would not have a guide by which to align. This could cause significant problems for the child, including significant pain.
Reason Three
Baby teeth may fall out eventually, but until they do, they serve the very important job of guiding the incoming of permanent teeth, as well as provide a sort of map for the placement of permanent teeth. More specifically, baby teeth work to provide the correct spacing and reserve this spacing for the permanent teeth that will later come in. Failure to do this may result in overcrowding or too much space between the permanent teeth. While these problems may be fixable with braces and/or a retainer, both are expensive options and caring for the baby teeth to prevent these problems is a less costly option. Furthermore, if baby teeth fall out due to decay, or have to be removed due to ill-care, a spacer may need to be placed in the mouth. This can cause discomfort, and be costly.
Reason Four
Another reason to care for baby teeth is to prevent pain and discomfort on the part of your child. Yes, it may be costly to have those early cavities removed, but would you want to live with a cavity for several years? Probably not, and your child doesn’t want to either. Brushing daily, flossing, and using mouthwash (when OK’ed by a dentist) is extremely important, but when this fails and a cavity presents, seeing a dentist right away is extremely important.
Additionally, infections in the baby teeth can lead to lasting problems in the gums. This may continue to affect the gums into their adult life. Infections may also spread to cause problems with the permanent teeth. One potential problem is damage to the growing permanent tooth.
Reason Five
Lastly, baby teeth are important because they provide a great canvas for learning good oral hygiene. The oral hygiene habits learned in childhood will be taken with your child into adulthood, so teach them to brush well, floss daily, rise with mouthwash once to twice a day, and visit a dentist twice a year, and these habits will last into adulthood and help your child have and maintain healthy teeth.
sources: http://www.teethcenter.com/5-reasons-to-care-for-baby-teeth/
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