When you think of baby teeth you probably think of temporary teeth that eventually fall out to make room for your permanent teeth.
However, did you know those temporary teeth have a permanent effect on your life? Here are 5 reasons why your baby teeth have a much more permanent place in your life than you might think.
1. The health of your adult teeth depends on them
Your adult teeth grow closely behind the roots of your much smaller baby teeth. However, because they are so close and your baby teeth are so small it can lead to faster-acting tooth complications such as decay and cavities. Tooth complications that develop on your baby teeth spread much more quickly than compared to your adult teeth, needing much more immediate attention before they can cause permanent damage to your adult teeth as well. You can give us a call for immediate assistance should the need arise.
2. Healthy baby teeth habits lead to healthy adult teeth habits
When you are a child, you learn the right ways and the wrong ways to eat your food, brush your teeth, and floss. If you do not take proper care of your baby teeth as a kid then you won't develop the proper healthy habits you need to take care of your adult teeth when they come in. This can end in various oral health complications so it is important to start the right habits when you still have your baby teeth.
3. They determine how your teeth align
Poor tooth alignment as an adult can result from when you are young. Losing a baby tooth prematurely will leave an empty gap in your mouth that the surrounding adult teeth could grow towards in order to fill. As a result, the adult tooth that is supposed to grow into that tooth’s space will have less room and could grow improperly. It is important to be aware of how your teeth move in your mouth so you don't run into the problem of poor tooth alignment in the future.
4. Baby teeth affect how you talk
The sounds you produce are determined by how sound moves through your mouth and across your teeth. If the alignment of your baby teeth is not correct then it can create mispronunciation of your words. As a result, this can cause lasting speech complications to develop with you as you age.
5. Baby teeth help facilitate good self-esteem
Your sense of self-esteem develops the most during childhood. Distractions and negative feelings play a large role in the development of your self-esteem so it’s important to rid yourself of them early. Dental pain as a kid can be a big contributor to distractions and negative feelings such as fear, embarrassment, nervousness, and even anger. It is important to handle dental pain while you have your baby teeth so that your self-esteem doesn't suffer as a result.
My final point: baby teeth are just as important as adult teeth.
They strongly impact early childhood development and help determine lifelong habits. Schedule an appointment so we can ensure your child has the proper oral hygienic habits they can take with them into adulthood.