Baby teeth matter: A parent's guide
Why milk teeth need fillings, when to start fluoride toothpaste, and how sealants prevent cavities before they start.
Why milk teeth need fillings, when to start fluoride toothpaste, and how sealants prevent cavities before they start.
Parents often ask: if milk teeth fall out anyway, why fill them? The answer is space. Baby molars hold the arch width for permanent premolars; losing them early causes crowding and often braces later. Infected baby teeth also spread infection to the developing adult bud.
We recommend a first visit by age one — a lap check, diet chat and fluoride varnish if needed. From age two, a pea-sized smear of 1000 ppm fluoride paste twice daily is safe (spit, don't rinse). Pit-and-fissure sealants on newly erupted six-year molars prevent 70% of chewing-surface decay.
Brushing technique matters more than the brand. At Pearl & Root we send home a 2-minute sand-timer and a WhatsApp video tailored to your child's age: knee-to-knee for toddlers, modified Bass for school-age. Sticky biscuits and frequent juice pouches are the biggest diet traps we see.
If a cavity does occur, tooth-coloured glass ionomer fillings release fluoride and are kind to little teeth. Stainless steel crowns for badly decayed baby molars save extraction in 90% of cases.