Tooth Decay in Baby Teeth and its Permanent Effects

In our infancy, we all have baby (primary) teeth, which eventually fall out and are replaced by our permanent ones.

And most of us, estimates are about 60%, suffer some kind of tooth decay in those baby teeth.

Because baby teeth are certain to fall out, many of use reason that they are unimportant, or expendable, and therefore it doesn’t matter if baby teeth develop cavities.

But this is untrue. Although primary teeth are temporary, cavities that are not treated can cause severe harm immediately and negatively affect how young teeth and mouths develop.

At Bondi Dental, we want to work with you to get our children’s dental health off to its best possible start, partly because good oral hygiene and dental care is associated with better oral hygiene and dental care as your child grows up.

And this is related to levels of overall health.

In fact, tooth decay in baby teeth can have a quite severe immediate impact.

The first possibility is that a decayed baby tooth might become so compromised that it needs to be extracted because it is painful or non-functional.

But the effects can go far beyond that as loss of baby teeth can cause speech problems, poor eating habits, and damaged and misaligned adult teeth.

Healthy primary teeth, on the other hand, often lead to healthy permanent teeth.

The Importance of Baby Teeth

Important for Permanent Teeth: While they do fall out, primary teeth are there to hold the jaw space needed for the healthy development of permanent teeth.

The perfect scenario is a baby tooth staying in the jaw until the adult tooth below is ready to erupt. Then it’s tooth-fairy time!

If a baby tooth is lost before a permanent tooth is ready to come in, it can cause lead to a loss or distortion of the space that the permanent tooth should come in to.

Health and Nutrition: Without teeth, or with badly damaged ones, chewing becomes more difficult or impossible. This can lead to poor nutrition.

Worse, if cavities aren’t treated, a child has an increased risk of infection, which can spread to the body and brain, occasionally leading to death.

Good Dental Habits: Teaching good oral hygiene habits can have a permanent effect on your child’s dental and overall health.

This includes trips to your Bondi dentist, as that is a key part of good dental habits as your child ages.

Speech Development: Have you ever talked to someone with missing teeth, particularly missing front ones?

If you have, you know that we need those teeth to speak properly and clearly. This is also true for infants.

Infants with well-spaced, healthy, and even partially aligned teeth tend can form words and speak clearly.

Children with poorly spaced, unhealthy, and substantially misaligned teeth often don’t speak well. This can lead to social issues as well as speech problems down the road.

Position and Alignment of Permanent Teeth: Baby teeth are space-holders for adult teeth, then become guides for permanent teeth as they erupt into position.

If a baby tooth is absent, nearby teeth can shift or rotate into the gap. If this happens, an adult tooth has reduced room to erupt, and may even be blocked completely.

Make Chewing and Eating Easier, which helps nutrition. Loss and poor alignment can also cause stress on the jaw and retard the development of important facial muscles.

How can parents help?

The basis of good dental health in children and teenagers is laid down in the early years of life.

This is why it is important to establish a proper oral hygiene routine early in life.

Here is what you can do:

Begin early. By beginning early, you help ensure your child develops good habits that become comfortable and familiar.

Rinse your infant’s gums with a damp cloth or gauze. Brush their teeth as soon as the first one erupts. Get your children accustomed to visiting a dentist.

Set an example. Your good dental habits are often followed, without instruction, by your children. It helps is you let your children brush and floss their teeth with you.

Eat well. Adults are the primary determinants of their children’s eating habits, and good eating habits are related to dental and overall health.

Regular dental visits. Regular dental visits demonstrate how important dental care is. At Bondi Dental, we are waiting to welcome your child!

The Dental Advantage in Bondi

Bondi Dental’s convenient location is in the Eastern Suburbs – Bondi Beach, Bondi in Sydney. Our skilled dental professionals have over 60 years of experience in all fields of dentistry.

We provide high quality dental preventative, restorative, and cosmetic services for all patients in the region.

Bondi Dental has free parking behind our building and offers a FREE Dental Consultation including a complete dental check-up.

We are open seven days a week 8 am – 8 pm!

If you are worried about your baby’s tooth development, call us on (02) 9365 7187 or request your appointment online. Visit us at 134 Curlewis St in Bondi Beach.