Why Do We Have Baby Teeth?

The most obvious answer to ‘Why do we have baby teeth?’ is that the smaller mouths of children need smaller teeth, but there are also other very important reasons as to why baby teeth are beneficial to your child’s growth and development.

Your child’s baby teeth help with jaw growth and maintain the adequate amount of space for the permanent teeth to properly erupt. A child’s jaw is not big enough to house all of the necessary  permanent teeth early in life and thus an initial set of teeth is required until there is enough room for all of the permanent teeth to erupt properly.

Baby teeth are also very important in speech development. They help children speak properly, which is an essential component of social and cognitive development.

Baby teeth also allow your child to chew their food. This process helps the jaw bones and muscles of mastication develop. Additionally, sufficiently chewed food aids in digestion and absorption of nutrients into the body that helps your child’s overall health, growth, and development.

Also, permanent teeth use baby teeth as a guide to help them erupt into the mouth with the proper position and orientation. Missing or prematurely lost baby teeth frequently result in permanent teeth that erupt into disadvantageous positions, or sometimes not at all, if there isn’t sufficient space maintenance & guidance by the baby tooth. The end result is a crowded and misaligned smile with potentially adverse effects on development as the child grows.

It is important to note that baby teeth are more susceptible to cavities than permanent teeth. That is why it is extremely important to perform proper hygiene on your child’s baby teeth as soon as they erupt into the mouth in order to help their permanent teeth in years to come!

Make an appointment for your child today!