Why are baby teeth important?
Primary teeth are also known as baby teeth. Although the first baby tooth is lost around the age of 6, some primary molars remain in place until 12-13 years of age. Primary teeth have many functions including chewing, speech, development of the jaws and esthetics. Care of the primary teeth is necessary to avoid pain and infection that can result from their neglect.
Baby teeth are important for a number of reasons including – chewing, appearance and speaking. They also hold space for the permanent teeth and guide them into the correct position. Although the front teeth fall out at approximately 6-7 years of age the back teeth (canine to molars) do not fall out until 11-13 years of age. If the baby teeth are lost ahead of their natural time, space for the permanent teeth may be lost. This in turn can cause crowding of the adult teeth. Healthy baby teeth set the stage for healthy permanent teeth. In some instances however, it may not be possible to fix the baby teeth and extraction may be the only option available. Retaining a severely broken down baby tooth may cause pain, infection and risk of damage to the developing adult tooth. Following extraction of the baby tooth it may be necessary to construct a space maintainer to hold the gap open.
