Baby teeth are very important
Dr. BERTRAND R. STUART D.D.S

Contrary to what many parents think, baby teeth are very important. They definitely should not be taken out or left to decay just because the child is going to have another set of teeth later on. These teeth need to be saved until the root of the permanent teeth underneath each one is formed enough, ready to erupt, and ready to come out.However, there are certain times when a dentist does need to take a baby’s teeth out. Usually, when a child has a cavity on one of her baby teeth, the dentist would have to restore it. In some instances, a patient may be having missing permanent teeth; if so, the dentist will want to conserve the baby tooth until the patient is ready to restore the space with a more permanent solution like an implant or a bridge.
A recent study investigated how pain in the mouth due to cavities in children is affecting children’s school performance. Infection and cavities in young patient’s baby teeth should be addressed because they are painful for a child and because they affect the permanent teeth, too. Healthy baby teeth are necessary for chewing and for getting good nutrition. Much of people’s absorption and digestion of food starts in the mouth. In addition, people learn to speak as children. The tongue rests in certain spots behind the teeth in order for people to enunciate and pronounce certain words. If those teeth are missing, an individual will not experience proper speech development. If the teeth are not there and the function of chewing does not occur, the jaw development is hindered.
In addition, society requires people to have healthy teeth in order to smile and present an attractive appearance. Children can suffer self-esteem issues or be bullied when they have missing front teeth. One of the most important functions of baby teeth is that they hold spaces for permanent teeth. They reserve space for permanent teeth and guide those teeth into position.
Losing one tooth will make other teeth shift to that tooth’s space. Suddenly, the permanent tooth will not have any space to erupt in the right place. This causes other problems such as crowding (“riders”) and impaction od permanent teeth (especially “wisdom” teeth).
Dentists hear this all the time: “My children brush two times a day, but every time I take them to the dentist, they still have cavities.” Dental caries, or tooth decay, is caused by transmissible bacterial infection. If a parent has a high incidence of caries, his or her child will too. If a parent puts something in his or her mouth and then puts it in his or her child’s mouth, the parent is transferring caries-causing bacteria. Not many parents understand that they must care for their own teeth to keep their children’s teeth healthy.
In addition, when children eat sugary, starchy, or sticky foods that feed bacteria, and their teeth are not cleaned regularly, the bacteria will help produce acid and cause decay to teeth. Parents must encourage their children to develop healthy oral hygiene habits, like brushing and flossing after every meal. Parents must also encourage their children to reduce their intake of sugary snacks, sodas and juices.