Why do baby teeth need treatment?

Children's teeth begin to erupt after the first 6 months of life. At the age of 6 or 7, baby teeth are gradually replaced by permanent ones. Throughout this period various dental pathologies can appear, such as dental caries and its complications, fractures or luxations caused by trauma, etc.

Baby teeth (deciduous teeth), although they will be replaced, must be treated to prevent later complications. The idea that baby teeth are not treated because they will be replaced is completely wrong. Untreated cavities in deciduous teeth can affect the development of the permanent teeth whose buds lie beneath the deciduous teeth.

Through the presence of deciduous teeth on the arch and by ensuring their morphological integrity, they are a premise for securing the space needed for their replacement by permanent teeth. At the same time, the integrity of the deciduous dental arches, especially the integrity of the deciduous molars, allows the eruption of permanent molars in unchanged positions (especially the 6-year molars), teeth that erupt distal to the deciduous molars and coexist with them until their exfoliation. In this way, the eruption of permanent teeth proceeds normally and space is also ensured for the appearance on the arch of premolars and canines, thus preventing the appearance of orthodontic anomalies.

Also, premature extractions of deciduous teeth can affect children's correct speech and their ability to feed.

To maintain the integrity of deciduous teeth, periodic check-ups are needed, with the first visit to the dental practice recommended once the first tooth appears. On this occasion some anomalies of the dento-maxillary system can be detected and advice is also given on how to carry out oral hygiene.