If baby teeth just fall out eventually, does taking care of them really matter? The answer is a resounding yes! It may be easy to underestimate the importance of primary teeth, but keeping them healthy will benefit your child in numerous ways.

Not only does your child need their teeth for biting and chewing, but a full set of pearly whites is also essential to their language development and facial structure formation.

While it is true that baby teeth do eventually fall out when it is time for a permanent tooth to come in, if baby teeth are lost too early, problems can follow. A primary tooth is meant to hold a proper space for a permanent tooth. If it is lost prematurely (knocked out during an injury or extracted due to decay), the space that was originally being reserved for an adult tooth may narrow. The teeth on either side of the lost tooth can begin to shift towards the space if a permanent tooth does not erupt in time. In turn, this can cause the permanent tooth to grow in crooked. (more…)