Things You Didn’t Know About Baby Teeth

When your child starts to appear with teeth, it is as much an overwhelming process as it is exciting. Because after their teeth start appearing there will be new ways for them to eat and speak. But as a parent, we often do not pay deserving attention to our little one’s dental care. Since these are baby teeth and they will eventually fall out we do not pay attention to their care as we do to the permanent teeth. This can lead to severe dental issues in the future because tooth decay begins as soon as the teeth appear. If you have genetically weak teeth, your child may also have the same. To know the proper care you should take of your child’s baby teeth consult Toluca Lake dentist, who can help you with professional evaluation and guide you to plan out how you can preserve your child’s happy smile. Continue reading this article to learn about surprising lesser-known facts about your baby teeth. 

They Are Born With Teeth

We think that our baby starts developing teeth after they are born, but they are born with 20 milk teeth that have not erupted yet. Their foundation of teeth begins forming when they are in the womb from around the sixth week of pregnancy, when the baby is born it has all the teeth beneath the gums just waiting to emerge. Their first teeth start to appear when the child is around the age of 6 to 12 months, however, this varies from child to child. Many child develop their teeth faster while some take longer time. 

Essential Part of Speech Development

Those adorable baby teeth do more than that adorable toothy smile, it plays an essential part in their speech development. When they just start learning to speak they rely on their teeth to pronounce many of the sounds. For some letters to pronounce properly they need proper placement of their tongue around teeth. If they are missing teeth they will not be able to pronounce those sounds. 

They Are Important For Permanent Teeth

We can not neglect baby teeth care just because they are not going to be there permanently, they might not be there permanently but they build a foundation on how their permanent teeth are going to be, and they will serve as a placeholder for their adult teeth, guiding their proper alignment and development. If a tooth falls prematurely, it can make the teeth surrounding it drift out of their position. 

Thumb-sucking Is Not Good For Them

After the baby starts to emerge teeth, usually they develop the habit of sucking on their thumbs or pacifier for comfort. But this habit of theirs can disturb their teeth alignment and will cause them to bite problems. Hence, it is necessary to break that habit before their front teeth start to emerge. 

Care Is Necessary

At the age around which the child starts to appear teeth, they mostly consume breastfed or bottled milk as their main source of nourishment they might not get any dental issues at that time but sugary beverages will cause tooth decay even if the teeth just start to appear. Even breast milk can cause the formation of plaque if your baby has genetically weak teeth. Hence, make sure to wipe their mouth after bottle-feeding. 

Importance of Diet

Incorporating essential nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D in their diet is essential to support the formation of strong enamel. Sugary products like chocolates and cookies are what babies love the most after they can chew, but they pose a risk of buildup of cavities and tooth decay. Adding fluoride will help in strengthening enamel by remineralizing weakened enamel and giving your child a strong protective layer, you can get fluoride from water or toothpaste. If your child needs necessary fluoride, the dentist might suggest fluoride treatments.

Do Not Forget Regular Checkups!

From the moment your child starts to develop teeth, make a habit of regularly checking up with the dentist to ensure proper growth of their teeth and the essential care that is needed for it.