Are Baby Teeth Important?

Are baby teeth Important? What if your child gets cavities in their baby teeth? Is it really necessary to get them treated if they are not having any toothache? Surely the baby teeth will fall out after a while anyway?

Though you lose them early in life, your primary teeth, also called baby teeth or milk teeth, are essential in the development and placement of your permanent teeth. They also help in speech development. The permanent teeth develop close to the roots of the primary teeth. 

Untreated infection in baby teeth can affect the normal development of the permanent tooth. Primary teeth also maintain the spaces where permanent teeth will erupt. If baby teeth are lost too early other teeth may tilt into or take up the vacant space, forcing permanent teeth to come in crooked. 

Although baby teeth start to fall out around 6 years old, some will remain until 12 years or even later. By taking your child for regular check-ups any problems with the baby teeth can be seen early and treated or prevented from progressing. This way more complex treatment, which may be more expensive and require more cooperation from the child, can be avoided. If your child is taught to look after their baby teeth, they are much less likely to have problems once their permanent teeth come through.