6 questions, 6 answers about milk teeth

Milk teeth are often ignored by parents, thinking, “They will fall out anyway and new ones will replace them.” However, milk teeth guide new teeth. In other words, milk teeth that fall out or decay prematurely can cause new teeth to grow crooked and cause other problems. Anadolu Health Center Dentist Arzu Tekkeli gave information about the things to consider regarding milk teeth…

What is the importance of milk teeth and how should they be cared for?

Milk teeth, which begin to erupt approximately 4/6 months after birth, complete their eruption around 2.5 years of age. The functions of primary teeth in the mouth are as follows:

• Ensuring the child has a proper and balanced diet
• Positively influence the development of speech
• To protect the permanent tooth that will come from underneath it and to guide this tooth to erupt.
• Contributing to the development of the maxillofacial skeleton

Should babies’ milk teeth be wiped with carbonated water and cheesecloth? When to start dental care

From the moment the first teeth begin to erupt, the parent should clean the baby’s teeth after meals with a clean towel, cheesecloth or gauze. As of 18-24 months, teeth should be brushed with a soft toothbrush under parental control. Toothpaste use should start from the age of 3.

What should parents pay attention to about milk teeth?

• The first and most important responsibility for the protection and care of milk teeth falls on parents.
• If the baby will be fed with a bottle in the first months of life, ingredients such as honey and sugar biscuits should never be added to the food.
• If pacifier use is available, the same rules apply to pacifiers. The pacifier should not be dipped in a sugary food.
• Until about age 7, dental care should be done under parental supervision.
• The child should be kept away from sugary foods and junk food as much as possible.

The decay of milk teeth is often ignored because new ones will grow out anyway, but if the milk teeth, which are “guide teeth”, fall out early, the new teeth may emerge untimely and crooked, right?

• Milk teeth are ignored by most parents with thoughts such as “They will fall out anyway, these teeth are temporary, they will be replaced by new teeth anyway.” However, this is a very wrong approach. It is very important that milk teeth remain healthy in the mouth until it is time for them to fall out.

A rotten tooth;

• Creates a source of infection in the body
• It disrupts the structure of the permanent teeth coming from below.
• It spoils the aesthetics and indirectly the child’s psychology.
• If a milk tooth is lost early and a placeholder is not replaced, the new tooth that will come from underneath will lose its guide and therefore may erupt in the wrong place. This situation causes crooked teeth in the future and the need for orthodontic treatment arises.

What should be done if the milk tooth is crooked?

Crooked baby teeth usually do not require any intervention. If the crookedness continues when all the milk teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth, then it should be examined whether orthodontic intervention is required.

Do milk teeth affect the arrival of new teeth?

Milk teeth; It is the guide and guide of permanent teeth. Removing the milk tooth prematurely and leaving it in the mouth as a decay prevents the permanent tooth that will come from underneath, both from being healthy and from emerging in the correct position. This leads to bigger problems over time. Finally, we should introduce our children to the dentist from the age of 1 and have them checked regularly.