Why Are Baby Teeth Important?

Here are a few reasons.

Helps Proper Chewing and Eating Habits: Unhealthy decayed teeth can cause nutritional deficiency as if makes chewing painful or uncomfortable. Untreated teeth can also lead to infection that can spread to other areas of the body.

Guide Permanent Teeth Alignment: Baby teeth save space and guide the permanent teeth to its proper position. If a child loses a tooth too early, teeth can drift into other spaces and lead to orthodontic treatment.

Affect the Jaw Bones and Muscles Development: Baby’s face and jaw muscles need exercise to help them develop. Proper chewing is a way to build these muscles.

Affect Speech Development: Missing teeth affects the formation of pronunciation and learning to speak properly.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends a child’s dentist visit occur by age one or within six months of their first tooth. The first dental visit also allows parents opportunity ask questions in caring your child’s dental health and development.