The baby teeth are the first teeth to erupt, they are important in the development of speech, for enabling the child to chew his food, for the development of the facial structures and for socialising. Since young children have small jaws the baby teeth are in close relationship with the adult teeth as shown in the image below.
A problem in a baby tooth may affect or prevent the development of the adult tooth and have a life long impact on your child’s dentition.
An additional function of the baby teeth is to maintain a space for the adult teeth, as seen in the image. If baby tooth is lost due to decay, the space is lost and this may require an orthodontic treatment. 