Most parents commit the fatal error of thinking that baby teeth do not need the same care as permanent teeth. After all, these are baby teeth that will fall out and be replaced, so why bother with dental problems or cavities? This is a typical myth that can cause severe consequences not only to the immediate oral health of your child but also to their long-term dental health and wellbeing.
Primary or baby teeth have much more to do than many parents think. These transitional teeth are important in speech development, proper nutrition, jaw development, and maintaining space for permanent teeth. By failing to practice good oral health in children or not taking them to a pediatric dentist Bayswater early enough, parents expose their children to a chain reaction of dental and health issues that may extend well into adulthood.
The Concealed Risks of Ignoring Primary Teeth
Children’s health begins with the eruption of the first tooth, usually at the age of six months. Unfortunately, most parents underestimate the importance of these early teeth and believe that, as they are not permanent, they do not require urgent attention when problems arise. The practise can lead to severe complications that extend far beyond childhood tooth decay.
Cavities that remain untreated on baby teeth enable bacteria to get into the deep parts of the tooth and occasionally into pulp which causes painful infections. These infections do not simply disappear by losing the baby tooth. Instead, they may extend into the surrounding tissues and destroy the permanent teeth that are developing under the gums. In severe situations, untreated dental issues in children can lead to abscesses, which can require emergency care and potentially permanently harm the tooth buds.
Serious Issues that Occur from Neglecting Baby Teeth
The repercussions of not taking care of primary teeth are more than just short-term pain and may cause long-term issues to your child in terms of oral and overall health:
- Speech Development Problems: The baby teeth are vital in speech development. The loss of primary teeth or the severe damage to the same may result in speech impediments, such as lisping and the inability to pronounce some sounds. These speech problems can continue even after the permanent teeth come out, and this necessitates the intervention of speech therapy.
- Nutritional Deficiencies: Children with painful or missing baby teeth experience difficulties with chewing and will avoid certain foods. This can result in unhealthy nutrition, which can affect their growth and development in their critical formative years.
- Irreversible Tooth Damage: The infection of baby teeth can extend to permanent teeth that are still developing, discolouring, malformed or even destroying the permanent tooth before it erupts.
- Premature Tooth Loss: It may happen because of serious decay or infection, which causes the early removal of baby teeth, leading to the loss of space and subsequent orthodontic problems.
- Possible Psychological Effects: A child may develop issues with self-esteem, social life, and education due to dental pain, inability to eat, or shame over damaged teeth.
Prevention Strategies for Optimal Children’s Dentistry
Maintaining your child’s primary teeth will demand persistence and professional advice from a qualified children’s dentist in Bayswater. Good oral hygiene habits should be instilled at an early age to establish the basis of a lifetime of dental health:
- Start Early: Start cleaning your baby’s gums using a soft cloth even before the teeth have started to emerge. When the first tooth appears, begin brushing with a soft-bristle toothbrush and a toothpaste without fluoride.
- Frequent Dental Care: Take your child to a kids’ dental clinic by the time he or she is one-year-old or six months after the first tooth appears. Routine visits after every six months help in detecting problems early enough
- Correct Brushing Technique: Children should be taught how to brush their teeth by spending two minutes twice a day with fluoride toothpaste suitable for their age. Monitor brushing until they have a good technique, usually at age 6-8.
- Develop Routines: Develop routines around oral hygiene to make it enjoyable and consistent by making brushing and flossing part of the daily routine, depending on the age of the child.
Long-term Effects of Poor Baby Tooth Care
The consequences of not caring for baby teeth can last well beyond when these baby teeth are lost. When children have early dental issues, they tend to develop a phobia towards dental visits, and it becomes harder to treat them in the future. Moreover, the bad oral hygiene practices acquired during early childhood are likely to persist in adolescence and adulthood, which exposes them to the risk of gum disease, loss of teeth, and other severe health problems.
The fact that the baby teeth were lost early can lead to orthodontic problems that could require expensive and time-consuming treatment. Early loss of primary teeth may lead to the movement of surrounding teeth to fill the space, leaving no room to allow permanent teeth to develop. This can lead to crowding, impaction, and complex orthodontic therapy.
In addition, long-lasting dental infections in children have been linked to other health issues, including heart complications and other health conditions. Dental bacteria of untreated infection can enter the bloodstream and affect other parts of the body, and this is why the dentistry of children is needed in the general health.
The Value of Professional Care
Home care is essential, but the professional supervision of trained dental professionals cannot be replaced. A trained children’s dentist is familiar with the special requirements of growing teeth and can detect possible problems in their early stages. Professional cleanings eliminate plaque and tartar that may not be removed by home brushing, and fluoride treatments and sealants add an additional layer of protection against decay.
Prevention of dental problems in children is nearly always much less invasive and less costly to treat than the developed problems. A pediatric dentist can also advise on how to eat well, use fluoride, and age-specific oral hygiene methods that change as your child matures.
Bottom Line
Baby teeth are to be treated and taken care of as permanent teeth as they are the basis of oral health. Ignoring the problem of primary teeth dentally can lead to pain, infection, developmental problems and long-term complications affecting oral health and overall wellbeing.
Bayswater Dentist is a dentist specialized in paediatric care where parents wish their children could receive full services of children dentistry in a welcoming atmosphere. Their qualified employees are familiar with the special requirements of young patients. It provides preventive services, early intervention and education so that the families can establish healthy lifelong dental habits. Please don’t wait until the problems arise; make a dental appointment for your child today, and ensure their smile will be healthy and bright in the future.