As a leading family dentistry practice in La Crosse, WI, the professionals from Coulee Family Dental often get asked about the importance of baby teeth. Sometimes, parents and children may wonder why baby teeth need to be cared for as well as permanent teeth, since they’re going to fall out. In addition to the obvious task of helping your child chew, baby teeth play a significant role in your child’s overall development.

Your child learns to speak at a young age, and baby teeth are important placeholders to guide your child in their language development. Speech patterns continue to develop all throughout the course of childhood as they learn new words and phrases. To give your little one the best possible odds of speaking clearly, encourage proper brushing and flossing to help retain baby teeth until they’re ready to fall out.

One of the most critical reasons your child needs their baby teeth is to hold space for the permanent teeth that will come in next. When baby teeth need to be removed or fall out before they’re supposed to due to poor dental hygiene, it can create complications like overcrowding and crookedness when adult teeth come in.