Our adult teeth last for most of our lives, which is why they get so much attention from family dental and general dental practices. But everyone forgets that it all starts with baby teeth. Baby teeth begin developing around the eighth week after conception. They are not visible at birth, but they are there ready to start popping through the gum lines around six months to one year. At this point, the root is almost completely formed and the adult teeth are waiting patiently for their turn to poke through in a few years.
Baby teeth, or primary teeth, provide more importance than just being teeth. They help permanent teeth know where they are supposed to grow. They help with chewing and biting food as the baby grows and learns to eat regular food. They also help with speech developments for young kids learning to talk.
Around the age of six is when baby teeth start saying goodbye to their former hosts to spend their remaining days with the tooth fairy. This starts the 15-year process of adult tooth development and jaw growth. The baby teeth say goodbye, but their presence remains in the form of adult teeth.
Did you know that not taking care of your baby teeth can lead to adult tooth decay below the gum line? Just because baby teeth leave, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the same amount of care adult teeth get. Good family dentists, like Smiles of Bellevue / Eastside Smiles, are important to give children’s baby teeth the attention they deserve. Plus family dental practices are the perfect way to start teaching your kids the important of taking care of their teeth in childhood and adulthood.
