Should We Have Baby Teeth Filled?
Baby teeth are necessary for chewing, speaking and aesthetics until the permanent teeth erupt in childhood. In babies, at the age of 6 months on average, the baby teeth begin to erupt and around the age of 2.5, the eruption of all baby teeth is completed.
In children, usually at the age of 6, the lower baby teeth fall out and tooth replacement begins with the eruption of the permanent teeth. This process continues until the baby canine teeth change at the age of 12-13. In this age range, children must have healthy baby teeth in order to be able to eat healthy. As with permanent teeth, it is important to treat baby teeth in case of decays.
Today, common decays are seen in baby teeth due to the preference of soft and carbohydrate-dense foods for the nutrition during childhood.
In order to prevent decay formation, baby teeth should be brushed regularly, checked by a dentist every 6 months, and preventive treatments should be carried out with topical fluoride or fissure sealant applications.
In the presence of decays, filling, amputation or canal treatment should be performed according to the depth of the decay, and the teeth should be kept in the mouth until the eruption age comes.
These applications are performed in the dentist's office or in the hospital environment for maladaptive children under general anesthesia.
Crowding of teeth is observed because there is no structure that can guide the permanent tooth that will come from below in early deciduous tooth loss. In order to prevent this, when there is early loss of baby teeth, placeholders should be made to create guidance for eruption.
Oral and dental health is a system that covers all ages. It is essential that we strive for this system to function properly at all ages.