One of the most rewarding aspects of being a dentist is getting to know our patients over time. We get to watch children grow and develop and see changes, hopefully every six months. The human body is an amazing thing, including the mouth, teeth, and surrounding structures!
Our primary teeth, or “baby teeth”, serve an important purpose in our growth and development. They maintain space and allow us to chew and eat (one of my favorite activities) as our jaw bones grow big enough to host our permanent teeth, or “adult teeth”. Early loss and decay of primary teeth can lead to many problems, including: crowding, cross bite, infection, pain, space issues, difficulty eating, issues with permanent teeth, and many others. This is why we celebrate a cavity-free check-up with our monthly no cavity club! We like to start seeing children at a young age. Usually starting around 1-2 years old. We start with a happy visit and make it as fun as possible. During this visit we check on tooth eruption and go over home care with the parents.
We often get questions about loose baby teeth. Most of the time these teeth come out naturally without much problem. There are other times however when the permanent teeth don’t resorb the roots fully and these teeth need to be extracted. If the gums around these teeth look red, swollen or are painful to chew with, let us know and we will take a look and make a recommendation.
Our goal is to always catch things early in growth and development, and get the proper referral to an orthodontist or other specialist if needed. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children have their first check-up with an orthodontist no later than age 7. Remember to schedule your child’s preventive appointments and we will evaluate their growing bones! It’s a pleasure to get to know our patients and foster a healthy mouth, which is a big part of overall health!!
