How Vital are Healthy Baby Teeth For Children?

The importance of having healthy primary teeth or baby teeth cannot be understated. The teeth that erupt during infancy need to be taken care of as much as the adult teeth because their condition establishes a child’s dental health for the future. Damaged or underdeveloped primary teeth can result in various health issues.

Your child starts out with baby teeth because a child’s mouth is too small for permanent teeth. While these teeth may appear to be only temporary, it is crucial that they be taken care of. Just like a healthy, complete smile has a positive emotional effect on adults, children are also well aware of how they look. Having an unhealthy mouth or compromised teeth can really affect how a child feels. By the age of 13, a child’s mouth is big enough to accommodate permanent teeth and that’s usually when the last of the adult teeth come in, aside from the wisdom teeth.

What Is The Purpose of Baby Teeth?

The growth and health of your child is dependent on the primary teeth. Here is why healthy baby teeth are essential for a baby:

1. They allow children to chew and consume solid and nutritious foods so that they receive sufficient nourishment for their developing bodies.
2. The construction of a children’s mouth and teeth is critical for them to properly learn and to speak. The sounds of the letters can’t be learned adequately without a healthy set of teeth.
3. Permanent teeth erupt in place of their respective baby teeth. If for some reason baby teeth have fallen off prematurely, are crooked or have some other defect, it can hurt the permanent teeth as well.

How to Care For Baby Teeth?

There are a few things you can do to take care of your baby’s primary teeth.

1. Teething: Giving your child a cold and suitable teether to bite on is one of the many things you can do to help through their teeth eruption phase. Usually teeth grow in intervals so giving your child a teether, pediatrician recommended pain relievers (such as Tylenol) and a little massage on the gums can be very soothing and comforting for them.

2. Brushing: As soon as the first tooth appears, you should start brushing it every night with water and a soft-bristled baby toothbrush. By the age of one, children usually have several teeth and more keep erupting until they are three. All this time you should be brushing your child’s teeth with a fluoride-free toothpaste.

3. Dental visits: The ADA recommends that you take your child for their first dental visit as soon as the first birthday comes. After that, an annual dental visit for tooth cleaning, plaque removal, and fluoride application is important.

If you want to know more about how to care for your baby’s teeth, give Boones Ferry Dental a call at (503) 683-7484 and book an appointment.

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