DEBUNKING THE PEDIATRIC DENTAL MYTHS

Milk teeth are the first set of teeth that erupt and act as the placeholders for the permanent teeth that erupt later. As milk teeth shed after a few years, people feel it unnecessary to care for a child’s dental health. They fail to realize that milk teeth set the stage for sound dental health for a lifetime. Most dental disorders and oral infections erupt during childhood, and if these dental defects are corrected or prevented timely, severe dental infections get prevented. Here we debunk a few pediatric dental misconceptions and highlight why one should care about baby teeth. 

Myth 1: Baby teeth are temporary and do not require much care

You would have heard from people that baby teeth are temporary and replaced by permanent teeth, so rendering extra care is unnecessary. These people are unaware that the function of the primary teeth is to reserve the place for upcoming permanent teeth and keep the gums healthy. If the primary teeth are decayed or impacted, it leads to the eruption of abnormal adult teeth. Once the permanent teeth erupt abnormally, the person will have to suffer from tooth imperfections and infections lifelong and require intense dental surgeries.

Myth 2: Cleaning of teeth not required in Teething stage

When the baby teeth will shed shortly, what is the need to brush or clean them? If you have a similar question, try to understand those baby teeth are vital for healthy permanent teeth. Failing to clean your kid’s teeth in early childhood, plaque keeps accumulating on their teeth and lead to other dental defects like cavities and tooth decay. Initially, clean the teeth with a clean, moist cloth and then when the child grows a set of baby teeth, start brushing their teeth.   

Myth 3: Develop dental hygiene habits later when they grow up

When baby teeth are temporary ones, why should we brush them regularly? Though milk teeth shed off shortly, they require regular brushing to clean the plaque and bacterial build-up. If you do not brush your child’s primary teeth, the risk of cavities increases, leading to abnormal permanent teeth. Initially, you brush your child’s teeth, otherwise, they’ll eat up the toothpaste and not clean their teeth. Teach them the correct procedure of brushing the teeth so that they stick to the habit for lifelong. If you be careless with their dental hygiene, they will cultivate the same habit and refrain from proper oral hygiene for the entire lifetime.

Contrary if good dental habits are built-in childhood, they follow them for a lifetime because habits acquired in childhood never depart. Educate them on what is good for their teeth and what is bad. If you educate them on the negative effects of sugary foods, junk foods right from childhood, they restrict the consumption of such foods and preserve natural teeth.

Myth 4: Cavities in Children do not require Treatment

Cavities are the common problems in baby teeth, but parents feel that there is no need to care for the cavities in the shedding teeth. Feeding on sugary juices, candies, and improper dental hygiene lead to black holes in the enamel of baby teeth. These holes are nothing but the cavities that slowly extend to the inner tissues of the teeth and decay the roots. If you do not get the cavities treated at an early stage, they decay the tooth. You might have a misconception that baby teeth will fall soon, and permanent teeth will replace them, so what’s the need for a root canal or cavities treatment. 

However, if the cavities are left untreated, the tooth decays, and it has to be removed. Premature removal of baby teeth creates a gap, and the adjacent baby teeth start shifting. Later, when the permanent teeth begin to erupt, there is no enough space for them as the placeholders failed to do the job. This results in crowding of teeth in the adults and other tooth imperfections like malocclusion.   

Myth 5: Regular Dental Visits Are Not Required

Parents feel that regular dental visits are not required for a child until he/she grows to a certain age of 8-10 years. But that’s not true. Dental visits are vital to assess dental health and correct primary tooth imperfections in the early stage so that the permanent teeth do not get impacted. Right from childhood, pay regular visits to your dentist for the perfect dental health of your child.

Visit our dental clinic, The Elite Dental Care, the best dental care in Tracy, California for your child’s regular dental checkup. We assess the dental health, check for dental defects and correct them, and also guide you on the best pediatric dental tips. Healthy baby teeth lead to sound dental health for a lifetime and hence, debunk the above-mentioned myths and nourish good care to primary teeth. 