“They will fall out anyway”: why baby teeth should be taken seriously
The role baby teeth play in chewing, speech and keeping space for permanent teeth, and what happens when they are left untreated.
AuthorDr. Fidan HasanzadePaediatric dentist, treatment under sedation
“They will fall out anyway, so why bother?” This is the sentence we hear most often about baby teeth. Yet even though baby teeth are temporary, they play a big role in a child’s health and should not be dismissed just because “they will fall out anyway”.
What baby teeth do
- The child chews with them: with a painful tooth a child refuses solid food
- They help speech develop properly
- They keep space for the permanent teeth
- They matter for a smile and self-confidence
What happens to an untreated baby tooth
Decay goes deeper, reaches the nerve of the tooth, and pain and infection develop. Infection around the root can affect the permanent tooth developing underneath. When a baby tooth is lost too early, the neighbouring teeth tilt into the gap and the space for the permanent tooth narrows. Research shows that when a baby molar is lost early, this narrowing happens mainly in the first months.
What parents can do
- Start brushing as soon as the first tooth appears
- Come for the first check-up around the age of one
- Have the teeth checked every 3-6 months, even without pain
- Have small cavities treated without waiting: this can spare your child more extensive treatment later
Protecting baby teeth lays the foundation for a healthy smile in the future.
Scientific sources
The information in this article is based on the following peer-reviewed scientific articles and international clinical guidelines.
- Pitts, N. B., Zero, D. T., Marsh, P. D., et al. (2017). Dental caries. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 3, 17030. [PMID: 28540937] | [DOI: 10.1038/nrdp.2017.30]
- Tinanoff, N., Baez, R. J., Diaz Guillory, C., et al. (2019). Early childhood caries epidemiology, aetiology, risk assessment, societal burden, management, education, and policy: Global perspective. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, 29(3), 238-248. [PMID: 31099128] | [DOI: 10.1111/ipd.12484]
- Zhao, J., Jin, H., Li, X., & Qin, X. (2023). Dental arch spatial changes after premature loss of first primary molars: a systematic review and meta-analysis of split-mouth studies. BMC Oral Health, 23(1), 430. [PMID: 37380944] | [DOI: 10.1186/s12903-023-03111-x]
