by: Ted Huppert, D.D.S.
I’ll bet that a lot of parents have an envelope or a sandwich bag or an old jewelry box in a drawer somewhere with a few baby teeth in it. They are reminders of the happy years between when a baby needs constant care and the day that an adolescent concludes that he or she is smarter than mom and dad. But, other than as souvenirs, what good are they?
The baby teeth are properly called primary teeth or deciduous teeth, because they are shed as the permanent teeth erupt. There are twenty deciduous teeth altogether, and most kids will have all of them at around age three, although there is a wide range of normal. Parents should begin brushing a child’s teeth as soon as they erupt. Be sure to use non-fluoride toothpaste. Young children can’t spit out too well, and they shouldn’t swallow fluoride toothpaste. Baby tooth enamel is thin and the smallest cavity can penetrate through it quickly. For that reason, pedodontists, who specialize in children’s dentistry, advocate check-ups starting as young as one year.
If baby teeth are going to be lost anyway, why is it so important to keep them? They do a lot besides chew. They determine the child’s profile by establishing the height of the lower face, they provide space into which the permanent teeth erupt, and they can affect the child’s speech, depending on their positions. The lower facial height is really important, other than just for looks. Teeth erupt until they hit something. If baby teeth are lost prematurely, particularly back baby teeth, the mouth closes too far, and as the six-year permanent molars come in behind the farthest-back baby tooth, they contact each other too soon and stay short. This results in a deep overbite that can affect the child’s chewing function, looks, and health of the jaw joint for the rest of his or her life.
Some parents are worried because there is so much space between their child’s baby teeth. That’s a good thing. The permanent teeth are a lot wider than the baby teeth, so extra baby tooth space means less likelihood of crowded permanent teeth. And some parents worry because “my child’s permanent teeth are coming in so much darker than her baby teeth.†Permanent teeth are naturally darker than baby teeth, but once all the baby teeth are gone, there will be no contrast between the baby teeth and permanent teeth and the permanent teeth will appear lighter.
Permanent teeth are meant to last a lifetime. Baby teeth are meant to last until they are no longer needed.
They require the same diligent home care and regular dental check-ups as do the permanent teeth. They should not be neglected just because someday they’ll be in a drawer.
