The most frequently asked question by parents to a dentist is what is the importance of baby teeth? Why save or take care of milk teeth when they are going to fall & replaced by permanent teeth?
The answer to this is simple… primary teeth are just as important as permanent teeth & require proper oral care.
- Primary teeth play role in a child’s physical, social & emotional development.
- Milk teeth serve key roles not just in oral health but in the overall health of the child.
- Let’s take a view at some important functions of milk teeth.
1] Mastication (chewing) :-
Everybody needs teeth to chew food so do kids.
If your child’s teeth are allowed to decay & remain some, the kid will not only experience pain & discomfort but also will be unable to eat. This, in turn, could lead to malnourishment & affecting their growth.
2] Guiding force:-
Milk teeth act as a framework for guiding the movement of permanent teeth. Primary teeth hold the space in the oral cavity for proper eruption of permanent teeth.
This reduces the chances of crowding, overlapping, and improper eruption.
If baby teeth are lost early, the adjusted teeth drift into that space, this blocks permanent teeth from erupting into that space leading to maligned teeth.
3] Speech development:-
– Milk teeth help in the development of speech. The tongue produces certain sounds with the presence of teeth.
– Kids have difficulty in learning to pronounce sounds like the & ‘f’ in absence of front teeth.
4] Facial development:-
Milk teeth are needed for normal growth of jaw bone & jaw muscles.
– Milk teeth give the face its shape & form.
5] Smile:-
Kids need their teeth to ‘smile’
6] Psychosocial well being:-
Healthy baby teeth are a tremendous boost to a child’s self-confidence & self-esteem
It is a ‘feel good factor’.
A healthy smile begins with a child and your smile’s journey starts here at Dr Nawale’s DentoCare, Aurangabad.
