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Baby Teeth: Keep Them in Their Place

Sooner or later, your child will lose all of his or her baby teeth. So if your child has a cavity or loses a baby tooth, it may seem pointless to pay for it to be filled or replaced, right? Wrong. Baby teeth serve a very important purpose. Aside from helping your child chew food and flash you an adorable smile, every one of the 20 primary teeth “saves a spot” for 20 permanent teeth, which will start coming in around the age of six. If your child is missing a tooth due to decay or loses one in an accident, the new permanent tooth will have nothing to guide it into the correct space. As the new tooth erupts, it can drift into the wrong spot, crowding out other teeth as they attempt to come in. This leads to crooked or misaligned teeth that may require extensive orthodontic or other dental treatment.

In addition, ignoring a decayed or missing tooth in a young child can cause problems with speech development, nutrition and self-esteem. That’s why regular dental visits are so important, beginning as soon as your child’s first tooth appears. The sooner decay is discovered, the quicker it can be dealt with. Filling a cavity is far less traumatic than allowing the decay to get to a point where it causes your child pain or becomes a more serious issue such as an abscess. Decay in one tooth can also spread through the mouth, affecting other teeth—even the permanent ones, still lying dormant under your child’s gums.

This information isn’t meant to scare you. Instead, it’s meant to make you proactive about your child’s dental health. Baby teeth can be filled just like permanent teeth can. And KiDDS Dental is equipped to handle the special needs of young children. Remember: The best way to handle dental issues is to avoid them in the first place. Help your child brush and floss regularly, avoid sugary foods and drinks, and see Dr. Jared on a regular basis!