But They Are Just Baby Teeth!

Taking a child to the dentist at a young age (age one is not too early) is the best way to prevent problems such as tooth decay, and can help parents learn how to clean their child's teeth and identify his or her fluoride needs.  After all, decay can occur as soon as teeth appear.  Bringing a child to the dentist early often leads to a lifetime of good oral care habits and can acclimate the child to the dental office, thereby reducing anxiety and fear, which will make for plenty of stress-free visits in the future.

Why are primary teeth important?
Though they are lost early in life, primary teeth, also called baby teeth, are essential in the development and placement of the permanent teeth.  Primary teeth maintain the spaces where permanent teeth will erupt and help develop proper speech patterns that would otherwise be difficult without maintenance of the space; crowding and misalignment can occur, resulting in more complicated treatment later.  Baby teeth are also good primers for teaching a child good oral care habits.  Even though primary teeth last only a few years, decay, cavities and infection can take its toll, and may require expensive treatment to repair.

When do baby teeth come in?
A child's primary teeth generally make their appearance when he or she is six or seven months old, though it can occur as early as birth.  There are 20 primary teeth followed by 32 permanent teeth that will eventually replace them.  As you can see, not all permanent teeth will “push out” a baby tooth.  A child should have all his or her primary teeth at age three, but often they have all arrived by age two.  They will keep them all until age five or six when the front teeth begin to loosen and fall out.  This process continues over the next several years with the rest of the teeth until the child is 12 or 13.  Primary teeth fall out because permanent teeth are pushing them from underneath.  By about age 14 children will have a full set of 28 permanent teeth, plus four additional teeth, called wisdom teeth that grow behind the permanent teeth in late adolescence for a total of 32.

Should loose primary teeth be pulled?
Losing primary teeth before they are ready to fall out can affect the proper positioning of the permanent teeth.  If a baby tooth is lost too early, other teeth may tip or fill in the vacant space, forcing permanent teeth to come in crooked.  If a baby tooth is knocked out, see the dentist, who may recommend a space maintainer to reserve the gap until the permanent tooth comes in.  In instances where a primary tooth is loose because of the emergence of a permanent tooth, have the child wiggle the tooth or eat something hard, such as an apple to help it along.  Once the shell of the tooth is disconnected from the root, the discomfort in extracting a loose primary tooth is minimal.

I often hear, “It doesn’t matter, they are just baby teeth.”  This statement unfortunately negates the significant role they play in a child’s development.  They may be “temporary”, but they are very important to a child’s overall health.