Primary teeth (better known as baby teeth) exist because of the way children grow and develop over the years. Humans need to eat solid foods long before we reach our full size, and so we grow a set of small teeth as toddlers, teeth we gradually replace as we grow. But while this means we don’t have to worry about any cavities that show up on baby teeth since they won’t be around forever, that doesn’t mean parents or kids should ignore them completely.
Primary Teeth Guide Permanent Teeth Into Place
The most important job baby teeth have is holding a spot for the permanent teeth that replace them. Since you only lose one or two teeth at a time, the teeth on either side will make sure the permanent tooth moves up into the empty spot where the primary tooth was. That’s why family dentistry in Long Island can start with orthodontics and tooth correction even before all the primary teeth are out.
Primary Teeth Can Share Cavities
Cavities don’t just eat into the enamel of the tooth they’re on. They also play host to the bacteria doing the eating, and thanks to the way it makes the enamel porous it gives the bacteria a place to hide from regular brushing and even mouthwash. That means a cavity in a baby tooth can encourage more cavities in the permanent teeth surrounding it. Proper family dentistry on Long Island can include filling a cavity on a primary tooth.
Habits Need To Start As Early As Possible
While baby teeth aren’t just for practice, they’re definitely for that, too. Kids should learn how to brush and how to floss as soon as you can trust them to hold a toothbrush and a floss pick and use them correctly. This helps make tooth hygiene as basic a habit as it can be.
Baby teeth might not be around forever, but family dentistry on Long Island and the rest of America involves taking care of them the same as permanent teeth. After all, what happens early on can have a big impact on what comes later.
