The Importance of Baby Teeth

Baby Teeth

Many adults remember their childhood as a time when they could be carefree about their diets. They remember shoving their face full of candy and washing it all down with a super-sized, high-sugar beverage, but reality does not often fit into the memory. Sure everyone loves candy and sugary drinks, but overindulgence in those things leads to significant oral and overall health problems. 

Still, many parents think it’s OK to let their children gobble up as much candy as they want, especially when younger because, after all, they are only risking their baby teeth — and those aren’t important, right? Wrong! The poor treatment of baby teeth can lead to many health problems, even some that are persistent and life-altering. Therefore, before you hand over the keys to the candy cupboard to your toddler, understand the significance of baby teeth.

Health

As a parent, the most important job you have is ensuring that your child remains both happy and healthy. However, letting them indulge in every sugary desire will not keep them healthy for very long, even if it does make them temporarily happy. Tooth decay is actually a chronic disease, and it is a problem that children are plagued with, especially American children. Therefore, to protect your child’s health, it is necessary to instill healthy oral hygiene habits — including healthy eating — which is easier when they are young, starting from their first baby tooth.

Speech

Your child gets their first baby teeth around the age of six months. By the time they are three, they will have all of their baby teeth. Therefore, baby teeth form around the same time your child is learning to speak and communicate, making a connection between these teeth and speech. Try to think of how many times your tongue hits the back of your teeth while talking, or how sounds depend on the structure of the mouth in combination with the teeth. When teeth aren’t cared for and decay or fall out too early, your child may develop a lisp, which could inhibit the development of confidence in speech. Also, missing teeth can cause your child to become self-conscious, which can lead to social anxiety. All of this because their baby teeth weren’t taken care of.

Eating

Everyone has a favorite food. However, without teeth, it would be difficult to eat these foods. Therefore, to ensure that your child gets to experience the full joy of food, make sure that they eat a balanced diet that is combined with a healthy dental routine, no matter how temporary their current teeth.

Baby teeth are necessary. If you want to protect your child’s teeth as much as possible, contact a family dentist, like a family dentist in Morrisville, NC, and schedule an appointment

Thanks to Alliance Dentistry for their insight into the importance of baby teeth and teaching your child good dental hygiene habits.