Importance of Primary Dentition

Author: Dr. Alison V. Berger, DMD, FAGD

Did you know that primary teeth, commonly known as baby teeth, are a great indicator of the future dental health of your childs permanent dentition?  Unfortunately, I hear a lot of parents telling me: “Oh, it’s just a baby tooth.”  It is not just a baby tooth.

Our children’s primary dentition consists of 20 teeth and these are the predecessors of 20 out of the 32 permanent teeth. That means that when your child loses that baby tooth, there is a permanent tooth following right behind it. Therefore, the health of that baby tooth, for the most part, will determine how healthy the permanent tooth following it will be. For example, if we have a deep cavity on a baby tooth that is not promptly treated and reaches the nerve of the tooth, it can potentially lead to an infection.  This infection can spread to the point of causing swelling, fever and pain, which are systemic manifestations that can be life threatening if left untreated. At a more localized level, the infection can cause damage to the developing tooth that is succeeding it, and show defects on the structure of it. 

Also, space distribution among the primary teeth is a big indicator of the space availability for the permanent teeth. Baby teeth are narrower than the adult tooth. When we see nice even spaces between primary teeth, it gives us a better chance of having permanent teeth to come in with proper alignment and positioning. Whereas, having tight contacts and crowding in the primary dentition, will be a huge indicator of crowding in the permanent dentition, which leads to the need of orthodontic treatment (braces) in order to achieve proper function and alignment.  

We encourage you to bring your children in for a dental evaluation as early as 1 year of age. At this time, we can walk hand in hand with you, to help you and guide you through your child’s dental growth and development.  Here at Spring Lake Dental Group we will be looking forward to seeing you and your family, and meeting your dental needs.