 Some people negate the importance of baby teeth, thinking that they are going to be replaced eventually, so they are not important. Unfortunately, this is not true; baby teeth are very important and serve many functions in the mouth. Without proper care of your child's baby teeth, you could be setting them up for serious issues in the future.
General FunctionsIn general, teeth help kids talk, chew, sing and smile. Think about how difficult it would be for children to perform these activities without healthy teeth. These basic functions make baby teeth important! Without good teeth, it would be impossible to chew food up into small pieces to aid digestion, it would be difficult to talk and hard to smile.
Set a Good FoundationIn addition to helping the basic functions of the mouth, baby teeth help guide permanent teeth as they come in. When a child loses a baby tooth much earlier than is normal due to circumstances outside of their control, such as when a tooth gets knocked out, it could become difficult for the permanent teeth to find their way. When a tooth is lost because the permanent tooth is coming through, it serves as a guide for the permanent tooth to grow in the right spot. Without that guide, adult teeth start to grow wherever there is any empty spot. This could cause overcrowding and crooked teeth.
Kids should be encouraged to take good care of their baby teeth, no matter how small or unimportant they may seem at the time. Baby teeth serve a very important function and should be taken care of before they even erupt through a baby's gums. |
