5 Things Every Parent Should Know About Baby Teeth

When you have a new baby, you will spend plenty of time looking at their fingers and toes, watching hair grow, and enjoying the many funny faces your new son or daughter makes on a regular basis. But throughout all this, you should also pay attention to your little bundle of joy’s baby teeth. A very important part of their development, baby teeth are more crucial than you might believe. Since you are a new parent, here are five things you should know about baby teeth.

1. Appearing Sooner than Expected

Even at only two months of age, your baby’s first teeth can arrive. But with most babies, teeth start appearing when they are six months old, although some may not get their first teeth until they are 12 months old.

2. Important for Speech and Jaw Development

While baby teeth are cute, they are crucial to helping with your baby’s speech development. Since our tongues press against teeth when we make sounds, baby teeth will help your child say his or her first words to you. Also, baby teeth help with jaw development. Once your baby starts eating solid foods, chewing with their teeth will result in a strong jaw.

3. Impacts Adult Oral Health

Since permanent teeth develop next to the roots of baby teeth, these little teeth play a big role in our adult oral health. Thus, if baby teeth get damaged or decayed, the roots for permanent teeth may also be damaged. Therefore, regular pediatric dentist visits are essential to ensure no problems develop.

4. Watch Out for Cavities 

Believe it or not, CDC statistics show that 40% of kids have cavities by the time they enter kindergarten. Since you want your child to be in the 60% that don’t have cavities, try to avoid as many sugary snacks and drinks as possible while they still have baby teeth.

5. Start Scheduling Those Dental Visits

Finally, once your baby starts getting teeth, don’t hesitate to start scheduling regular dental visits with a pediatric dentist. By doing so, you can find any developing problems and get them taken care of promptly.

Now that you know everything about baby teeth, you can relax and go back to enjoying your baby’s funny faces and other exploits.