Early childhood screenings allow time for discussion with parents and care providers to review diet, home care, growth and development, and prevention. We will also review home care for infants and children and the importance of routine visits to reduce risk of future problems. As always, answering any question you may have is at the top of our priority.
Why should I fix baby teeth if they are just going to fall out?
This is a common question and one that takes a little background knowledge to understand. Children are typically not as skilled at brushing their teeth, so help is always a good idea. Children should not be expected to properly brush until they are able to tie their own shoes. Baby teeth are sesepable to decay and infection just as adult teeth are. In addition, the baby teeth are smaller than adult teeth, so untreated decay quickly leads to pain and abcesses, which leads to the premature loss of the baby teeth. This leads us back to the question at hand. Baby teeth play a very important role in the proper development of the jaw bones and the correct eruption of the adult teeth. If baby teeth are lost early adult teeth are likely to shift and cause crowding. Another common problem is that the adult teeth are not guided into place and become stuck or impacted. As you can see baby teeth are good for more than just chewing hot dogs and chicken strips until the adult teeth come in.