Throughout their early years of development, children will gain and shed 20 baby teeth—also called primary or milk teeth. In most cases, baby teeth get replaced by 32 permanent teeth. Most kids will get their first tooth at about 5 to 7 months of age, and most will get their last permanent teeth by about 21 in the form of wisdom teeth. Many might wonder if baby teeth are so important, why do they fall out? What purpose do they serve? To answer this interesting question, we picked three of the most important reasons we have baby teeth in our early years:
Baby Teeth Are Important for Spacing: When you're young and growing like a weed, your skeletal structures are growing right along with you. That includes your jaw. As it grows and shifts around, so do your teeth. Baby teeth help maintain proper spacing into which the permanent teeth can erupt. If your child loses a baby tooth early due to decay or an injury, it could affect the alignment of his or her smile. Dentists usually recommend a device called a space maintainer in that situation to ensure the permanent tooth gets parked in the right spot.
Baby Teeth Are Important for Speech Development: Not only do baby teeth bring you a few extra bucks for your piggy bank courtesy of the tooth fairy, they also help you develop your speech when you're young. Because of this role, it's important to see your child's dentist if he or she injures a baby tooth or develops instances of early tooth decay.
Baby Teeth Are Important for Helping Digestion: Chewing your food is essential for proper digestion. In essence, this is the main reason human beings have teeth. You can't swallow a steak whole, and even if you could it would wreak havoc on your stomach if it wasn't broken down first. Teeth help to grind, break, crunch, and chop our food before it hits our stomach so the rest of the process goes a little smoother.
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In addition to these important functions, baby teeth also help you teach your child the importance of good oral health. Teach them how to brush and floss on their baby teeth, and the habits will likely carry over to their permanent set of teeth.