WHY SHOULD YOU CARE FOR YOUR BABY’S MILK TEETH?

Baby teeth are small, milk teeth are temporary, they get replaced, but they require good nourishment and care. Only when the foundation is strong enough, the building can stand for years. Similarly, the milk teeth form the foundation for the permanent set of teeth to develop in future. Here are a few reasons why you should care for the milk teeth of your kids.

What are Baby Teeth?

Baby teeth or milk teeth or deciduous teeth or primary teeth- they all mean the same. These teeth develop during the embryonic stage and erupt when a child is between six months to two years of age. Twenty in number, these teeth reserve the space for the incoming permanent teeth and lay a foundation for them. When a child is above six years old, these teeth start falling one by one and get replaced by permanent teeth.

Care for Baby Teeth

Baby teeth are usually subject to dental issues like gum diseases, baby bottle tooth decay, sensitive teeth and bad breath. You might have a misconception that baby teeth are anyways going to be replaced by permanent teeth, then why should I care for baby teeth? Here are few reasons that will give you a clear idea of how crucial healthy milk teeth are.

1. Guiding Element for Permanent Teeth

When a child grows to five to six years of age, the permanent teeth start exerting pressure through the gum line on the milk teeth. Because of the pressure exerted, milk teeth start to shake and then falls off. Permanent teeth now erupt and occupy the place of the milk teeth that have fallen off. It is as simple as milk teeth reserving space for permanent teeth to come and sit. If the milk tooth of the kids suffer an infection and get pulled off or fall off prematurely, the adjacent teeth start drifting towards the gap created. When the permanent teeth entitled to that gap erupts, a crowded scenario appears. It is one of the reasons for the crowding and misalignment of teeth.

2. Protects Permanent Teeth Underneath

A permanent tooth will erupt from the root of the milk tooth. If cavities harbor in the milk teeth, they will erode the enamel and infect the roots of the teeth. When the root gets infected, the permanent tooth hiding there will also get infected and either a chipped tooth will erupt or that permanent tooth will remain hidden below and will never erupt. Thus if your child has a cavity or plaque build-up in the milk teeth, get them treated at the earliest. Do not believe that when milk teeth fall off the infection or cavity will also go away. Instead, the infection would damage the roots of the teeth.

3. Ease of Speech

Tongue, lips and teeth all work in synchronization when one speaks. You cannot imagine speaking without a good synchronization between these. Now, if the milk teeth are decayed or fall off, the speech of the child will be affected too. Also, the baby teeth give a firm structure to the jaws and provide support for the development of facial muscles. The absence of milk teeth can hinder the ideal structure of the jaw as well.

4. Maintain the Body Healthy

Maximum of the nutrients get rendered to a child in the form of food. Now imagine if a child has a decayed tooth or cavities or infection in the mouth, will it be able to consume the food? No! Because of reduced intake of food, the child suffers from malnutrition and the mental health is disturbed due to the toothache. Only when the teeth are healthy and strong, kids can eat a balanced diet and stay healthy.

These are the reasons for maintaining healthy milk teeth and progressing with a healthy set of permanent teeth. Teach the basic lessons and importance of oral hygiene to kids right from a young age such that they follow it lifelong. It might be a little difficult to teach them and hence try being a kid when you are with your kids. If you follow good dental hygiene practices, they will copy you, follow you and learn from you. If your child has any dental issues, visit our dental clinic, The Elite Dental Care for your child’s dental treatment. Being one of the best dental clinics in Tracy, California, we offer painless and quick dental services. For more dental health tips and milk teeth dental care tips, visit our blog at https://theelitedental.com