Do Baby Teeth Need Fillings?
It’s “just” baby teeth. Let the child lose them; they’re there to fall out eventually anyway. Baby teeth are not important… or are they?
When people encounter problems with their permanent teeth, the natural course of action is to try all sorts of solutions as recommended by their dentist to save the tooth – tooth extraction is always the last resort. Fillings, crowns and root canals are just some of the devices that can be applied to keep the tooth structure intact. Of course, those procedures seem painful just to think about, so as parents, it makes sense to help your children avoid them at all costs.
When it comes to a baby tooth, many parents share this common mindset:
Since a baby tooth is temporary, problems such as cavities should not be something to be seriously concerned about. If a baby tooth incurs a cavity, many will think twice before having the child fitted for fillings and will simply choose to “wait it out.” Sometimes the issue is cost, time or age. No matter what excuses might fall in your way, from a pediatric dentist‘s perspective, we want to educate you on the dangers of avoiding the dentist for your kids.
There’s more to baby teeth than meets the eye.
They’re not simply there to give your little ones the most adorable smiles (those teeny-tiny front teeth, molars and incisors are too cute, aren’t they?). They play important, specific roles — such as saving the space for the permanent tooth — that have an impact on the overall state of their dental teeth, sometimes for life.
So if you’re asking, “do baby teeth need fillings?,” a reputable kids dentist will most likely say it depends on a case to case basis. But generally, getting them filled will be a huge help to maintain and improve the health and condition of your child’s teeth and gums.
Some of the reasons why fillings for baby teeth can be helpful include the following:
You may want to save the molars. Cavities in the molar should not be ignored, even if it’s on baby teeth. Keeping the teeth in the back as long as you can is critical to long-term dental health. Saving the baby molar is important because it serves as a placeholder for the permanent teeth. The adult molars can then grow in the right position with the help of baby molars.
Losing baby teeth can lead to serious complications. There are many cases of impacted molars that happened as a result of the improper movement of teeth because the child loses his or her baby molar, leaving nothing there to save the space. This can also lead to poor teeth alignment, which can then cause poor chewing ability, premature or excessive wear, and loss of adult teeth.
Fillings can save your child from pain and discomfort. In some cases, the presence of cavities in baby teeth won’t lead to any symptoms; often you will only learn there is something wrong after a thorough dental inspection. But in many cases, cavities can cause severe toothaches, inflammation and even infection. As a parent, you may think of fillings as both a treatment and a preventive measure. By preventing further complications, you save your child (and yourself) from pain and difficult and often costly dental treatments in the future.
If you found this article helpful, we welcome you to leave us a comment or share this post to your social network. As always, if your child is in need of dental care, Surfside Kids Dental has five convenient locations to serve you.
Until next time,
Cowabunga Dude!
