Milk Teeth: Importance, Cavities, and Myths

Being a parent is the best thing you can ever experience when you see your child’s first smile, which includes the set of these delightful little shiny teeth. The first teeth, also known as milk teeth, are an important milestone in your child’s development and they are one of the most important issues for the health and well-being of your child. Nevertheless, do you know what the term milk teeth means? Are they just a temporary thing or do they have a deeper essence? The article will talk about the importance of milk teeth, the most common problems that can happen, and the trivia that may be related to the little teeth.

What are Milk Teeth?

Milk teeth or primary teeth, also known as the baby teeth, are the first teeth that are born to babies. In most situations, children who are six months to a year old begin following the parents and by the time they are three years old, they have already grown a lot. The seven or eight year old child should have 20 milk teeth in total.

Milk teeth are the first ones to be acquired and they are important because they are usually used for eating when they are at school.

The Importance of Milk Teeth

Milk teeth are not just a stepping stone to permanent teeth, they are a source of several major functions in your child’s development. Milk teeth are not merely the stage for the permanent teeth to come into being.They indeed have several crucial functions in your child’s growth

1.Speech Development: Milk teeth are the children’s baby teeth which are the essential tool for the child to pronounce the words and sounds properly.

2.Nutrition: Milk teeth are the child’s gateways of his or her ability to chew and digest food which is very significant for the child’s health and growth.

3.Self-Esteem: Healthy milk teeth are very important for the kid to have the confidence and self-esteem in the very start of his/her life.

4.Guiding Permanent Teeth: Milk teeth, which are not permanent, serve a vital function in the aligning of the permanent teeth, thus, they become the guide for the permanent teeth to be in the right positions.

Common Problems with Milk Teeth

Whole milk teeth are an essential part of your child’s development, they can be prone to problems. Milk teeth are a very important part of a child’s development, nevertheless, they can be easily damaged:

1.Cavities: Milk teeth may decay just like permanent teeth if the oral hygiene is not considered.

2.Cracked or Damaged Milk Tooth: Cracked milk tooth can be chipped or damaged due to an accident, a fall or biting on a hard object.

3.Milk Teeth Not Coming Out: Sometimes milk teeth do not fall out, thus causing overcrowding and other complications.

 4.Infant Milk Teeth: There are cases when there is the presence of  milk teeth in newborns which are the reason for pain and the problems in the feeding.

Milk Tooth Extraction: When It is Necessary?

In some cases, milk tooth extraction may be necessary to prevent further complications: In some cases, the exfoliation of milk teeth may be necessary to prevent the appearance of other problems.

1.Severe Decay: If the lower teeth are badly decayed , then the best way to avoid infection and pain is by removing it

2.Overcrowding: A milk tooth that is not coming out on its own implies that the extraction may be required to make room for the permanent tooth.

3.Infection: A milk tooth infected by a virus could be a safer option to be removed to prevent the spread of the infection.

Debunking Common Myths about Milk Teeth

Myths—those are the stories that most often make our way of thinking about reality more complicated. Consequently, we are going to look at the typical myths about milk teeth and differentiate the real story from the false ones.

Myth 1: Milk teeth are not important at all because they are going to disappear sooner or later.

On the contrary, the temporary teeth that are not important are not the permanent ones. They are responsible for the correct eating, and they also are the cause of the milk teeth permanent teeth that appear. The so-called ignorance of milk teeth can be the reason for the future problems which are the cause of oral health disorders in later life.

Myth 2: Broken or chipped milk teeth do not have to be a cause of concern.

On the contrary, cracked or chipped milk teeth are a sign of underlying problems that must be treated. You can communicate that not paying attention to such problems can lead to pain, infection, and also can delay the eruption of permanent teeth. It is very crucial to solve any dental problems as soon as they are noticed in order to maintain the oral health in good conditions.

Myth 3: Milk teeth which will not come out sooner will in the end, in time, catch up.

Despite the fact that the tooth eruption time can be different for each child, serious delays are usually a symptom of a problem and should be examined by a dentist. The most probable way to stop the dental problems is to identify the origins early on and to have regular follow-up.

 Conclusion

 Milk teeth are of great importance for the child’s growth, and they must be taken care of just like the permanent teeth. The whole point of such info is to know the worth of milk teeth, the usual problems that can be encountered and to bust the myths so that you can give your child a healthy and genuine smile that will last his/her whole life.

Remember that milk teeth permanent teeth are the foundation of a good set of healthy teeth aligning systems so, on the other hand, you should spend that time taking care of them properly.

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