Let me start by saying that many people forget that baby teeth are just like permanent teeth in that they have a nerve, which if traumatized will cause a great deal of pain! Therefore, it is very important to take care of the baby teeth and if need be, to restore them before a cavity becomes worse.

An important note: The back teeth in the primary dentition not only act as a chewing surface but also play an important role in the proper eruption of the permanent teeth. Premature loss of these baby teeth may require an appliance called a "space maintainer" which serves to hold open the space previously occupied by prematurely lost baby tooth. Without such an appliance, teeth behind a prematurely lost baby tooth may have a tendency to drift forward and may block the proper eruption of permanent teeth.

For more information on this and related topics please visit our BabyTeeth 101: Dental Education area, contact us, or visit your pediatric dentist.