Baby Teeth: Mighty & Misunderstood

Your child’s primary teeth are the unsung heroes of their oral and overall physical development. They’re not just placeholders, but essential tools that enable your child to chew, eat, and receive the nutrition they need to grow. They also play a crucial role in developing clear speech skills and maintaining the space in the mouth for adult teeth to come in strong, healthy, and well-aligned.

• Structural Smile Support: Primary teeth are often referred to as “nature’s braces,” because they help establish proper spacing for adult teeth as they start to emerge, usually around age 6.¹
• Grinning & Growing: Baby teeth are integral to ensuring your child gets the nutrients they need to grow and thrive. They aid in proper chewing, which is essential for healthy digestion, nutrient absorption, and growth.
• Beyond Baby Talk: Baby teeth are integral to developing proper speech. They affect the way children learn to move their lips, tongue, and jaw and produce clear speech sounds.²

Baby teeth are quite the multitaskers; they also help support the overall growth of a child’s jaw, facial bones, and muscles. That’s why taking good care of these tiny titans is so important—it helps support your child’s health, growth, and overall well-being.

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is an infectious disease often caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus mutans.⁴ These bacteria can be passed to infants and children through saliva when sharing utensils or cleaning pacifiers with the mouth. (Learn more about protecting infants and tiny teethers.)

Fortunately, regular dental care practices, such as brushing with fluoride toothpaste, flossing, and professional check-ups, can help protect children’s mouths from the destructive effects of S. mutans bacteria on their oral health.

Children exposed early to cavity-causing bacteria are at a higher risk of developing extensive oral health issues. Untreated cavities in primary teeth can lead to greater dental deterioration, which can affect the nerve tissue and result in painful and severe dental emergencies.⁴

If cavities are not promptly treated, they can spread quickly, affecting not only the baby teeth but also the emerging adult teeth. This progression can lead to more severe infections, potentially requiring hospitalization and dental extractions. Infected baby teeth can also cause permanent damage to underlying adult teeth.⁵

Untreated cavities and poor oral health from infections and abscesses significantly affect a child’s ability to eat, sleep, speak, and play. This impacts their overall health and development, increasing the risk of nutritional deficiencies, reduced quality of life, and delayed physical and academic development.⁶

MDA dentists emphasize the importance of addressing cavities in baby teeth—even though those tiny teeth will eventually fall out—to prevent active infections and reduce the amount of cavity-causing bacteria in a child’s mouth. Effective treatment not only resolves immediate issues but also helps prevent future cavities, protecting your child’s long-term oral and overall health.⁵

Another reason MDA dentists advise treating cavities in baby teeth—even tiny cavities in tiny teeth—is to avoid unnecessary extractions. While there are some exceptions and cases that require extractions, MDA dentists try to keep baby teeth healthy and where they belong for as long as possible. When baby teeth are lost early due to Early Childhood Caries, trauma, or extraction, that child’s permanent teeth are more likely to emerge late and/or out of proper position. This often results in crooked or crowded teeth and an increased need for future orthodontic treatment.⁵

When a baby tooth extraction is necessary due to severe decay, infection, or an abscess, MDA dentists may recommend fitting a space maintainer. Before the extraction, your child’s MDA dentist will take a mold of their teeth to create a custom-fitted device. This device keeps neighboring teeth from shifting into the gap, allowing the permanent tooth to erupt properly. Regular dental visits ensure the spacer is working correctly and it can be removed by the MDA dentist once the adult tooth begins to emerge.


Your child’s oral health during pre-school and grade school establishes the foundation for their oral health into adulthood for two main reasons: Children establish dental hygiene patterns early, and dental caries that start in childhood worsen over time. Early preventive care can help mitigate the impact on adult teeth and establish a positive attitude regarding oral health and hygiene habits.

Before your baby’s first teeth break through, caregivers can wipe gums with a gauze pad or clean, damp cloth after meals. After teeth emerge, MDA dentists, in accordance with the American Dental Association, recommend prioritizing strong oral care habits by:

• Brushing Early & Often: Dentists recommend that parents and caregivers brush their infant or child’s teeth twice daily with a small toothbrush with soft bristles and a rice-sized dot of fluoride toothpaste.
• Flossing Regularly: As soon as a child has two teeth that touch, caregivers may begin flossing their child’s teeth once daily. MDA dentists share that it’s common for children to feel slight discomfort until they are familiar with the flossing sensation. For a smooth start, try starting with a kid’s floss stick.
• Teaching Tots to Take Charge: Once children reach the age of 3, parents and caregivers may begin teaching them how to brush and floss on their own, supervising to ensure they brush twice daily for at least two minutes, using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.^{1,5, 7}
• Supervise & Support: MDA dentists recommend that caregivers continue to help children brush until they are 7-8, which is when most kids develop the dexterity needed to brush effectively on their own. In the meantime, supervise, double-check, and lend a helping hand, especially in those hard-to-reach places.

Diet and nutrition play an important role in a child’s oral health. Sugary foods interact with the natural bacteria in the mouth, forming acid attacks that wear away at the fragile enamel that protects baby teeth. MDA dentists encourage parents and caregivers to:

• Skip, Don’t Sip, on Juices: Sipping on juice (even 100% fruit juice) all day exposes children’s teeth to a double whammy of sugar and acid, both of which erode enamel and contribute to childhood tooth decay. Dentists recommend saving juices for meal times, not sipping.
• Go for Whole Fruits: Whole fruits, such as apple slices, grapes, oranges, berries, and more, are a better option for teeth than smoothies, purées, and juiced versions.
• Choose Fluoridated H20: Drink plenty of plain, unflavored water, and opt for fluoridated tap water to strengthen tooth enamel.
• Avoid Hidden Sugars: Limit sugary and sticky foods and drinks, including seemingly healthy options like fruit leather, cereal bars, honey, and agave-sweetened drinks.
• Snack Smart: Keep snacking to a minimum, opting for balanced, nutritious meals rather than nibbling all day.^1,4

Everyone, even MDA dentists, enjoys a good treat now and then! Some may feel bad about the sugar rush’s impact on teeth and immediately encourage their kids to brush. But, MDA dentists advise that it’s best to wait 30 minutes before brushing your child’s teeth after consuming sugary foods. This allows saliva to rebalance the pH in the mouth, reducing acidity and ensuring that brushing is more effective. Brushing immediately after eating can be counterproductive as the enamel is in a weakened state due to the acidic environment. By waiting, you help protect your child’s enamel and promote better oral health.

MDA dentists recommend that children come in for their first visit as soon as their first primary tooth appears, or no later than their first birthday, whichever comes first.^1,4,5 Much like a well-baby checkup at the pediatrician, this appointment offers your MDA Pediatric or Family Dentist a chance to assess your child’s growth and development and check for cavities and other oral health complications.

It’s also important to establish a dental home early. The first few visits might not involve cleaning, but they are crucial for conditioning your child to receive dental care and stay comfortable in the dental office environment. These early visits help build a positive relationship with dental care. MDA Dentist Dr. Saeung shares that when she sees children coming for their first-ever visit at age 4 or 5 with multiple cavities, it can make their first memory of the dentist less than ideal. Establishing early, positive experiences with dental visits sets children up for better oral health in the future.

After their initial dental visit, MDA dentists recommend children receive routine preventive care and screenings every six months. At these appointments, your MDA dentist and their dental care team can also help address issues like difficulty with teething, prolonged pacifier use, or constant thumb-sucking.