Significance Of Replacing A Child’s Lost Teeth
As children grow older, they begin to lose their baby teeth one after the other. It is common for people to wait for another tooth to grow, but instead, you should visit a kids’ dentist near you for a replacement.
Ideally, when children get to the age of 3, they have about 20 teeth already. As they grow older to become adults, these 20 teeth eventually become 32. The 20 teeth that were present in the baby days were the forerunners for the adult teeth. They help to secure the position of the adult teeth before the adult teeth are formed. However, in some cases, one or more of the milk teeth may fall off before the child becomes an adult. When these teeth fall off, what do you do?
It is normal to tell children to leave their teeth under their people so that the tooth fairy can exchange them for money.
Replacing the teeth is the best thing to do. If you do not have a family dentist, find a kids’ dentist near you to replace the missing teeth. There are a lot of reasons why children could lose their teeth. It could be an accident at home, in school, or while playing with their friends. It could be a result of a tooth or gum disease.
Whatever is the cause of tooth loss in a child, it is important to see a kids’ dentist as soon as possible. Here are the possible effects of not replacing a child’s lost tooth.
- When one or more teeth are absent, it can affect your child’s speech. The child becomes unable to pronounce words properly because of the gap in the teeth. If nothing is done and the child is left to talk improperly for a long time, correcting the child’s speech might be impossible even when the adult teeth come out.
- Another significant change that can occur when you fail to replace a child’s lost teeth is that the child becomes unable to bite well. The space created by the missing tooth or teeth will cause the other teeth in the mouth to shift when the child bites on something hard. As biting continues, the teeth will begin to shift to adjust to the bite pressure, and soon enough, another tooth or teeth will have shifted into the position of the missing tooth or teeth.
- A missing tooth can affect your child’s appearance. The sight of a missing tooth can make your child feel in public gatherings. People will likely want to mock your child with the missing tooth. It can also affect your child’s self-esteem. People who have missing teeth are usually reluctant to talk, smile, or do anything that will make them open their mouths when they are in public.
- Maybe you are not aware, but the absence of a tooth or some teeth can cause tooth disease for your child. The space can serve as a breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria and they can easily penetrate the other teeth causing damage to the teeth and the mouth as a whole. Proper hygiene can help to ward off the bacteria but you should have the teeth replaced.
How to Replace Lost Teeth?
When you take your child to a kids’ dentist, you will be some tooth replacement options. The dentist will examine the child and tell you which option has the least risk depending on the child’s health conditions. You can choose from any option that you deem fit.
Ensure that your dentist is well-experienced and has the required tooth replacement kit. This will ensure that your child does not experience any pain during the tooth replacement. To replace a child’s tooth or teeth, here are some of the options that you will have to choose from;
- Dental implants
- Dental Bridges
- Dentures
- Removable Partial Dentures and;
- Cosmetic Dentures
You can save your child’s teeth by visiting a dentist for a replacement. If you have health insurance, your insurance can cover the cost. The effects of delaying can last a lifetime so when your child’s teeth come off, you know what to do. If the teeth of your neighbor’s child come off, you also know what to tell your neighbor to do.