What to Do for Those Missing Teeth

As parents, there are many things we try to avoid in our children’s lives. We want them to be safe, well fed, and happy, of course, but we also don’t want them to feel singled out from the crowd. Children can be cruel sometimes, and even when we try to protect our little ones from this, they know their differences.

As a person’s smile is one of the first things someone notices, it’s no surprise that a child missing one or more teeth will stand out. The reasons for said missing teeth vary greatly. It could be due to injury, tooth decay, or even congenital defects.

If you are one of the many parents with a child who is missing teeth, know you are not alone! Life has a way of throwing curveballs at us, leaving parents no choice but to roll with the punches. Thankfully, there are things that can be done to help your little ones smile. One of these options is pediatric partial dentures.

What are pediatric partial dentures?

A pediatric partial denture is a type of cosmetic dentistry. It is a device that fits into your child’s mouth, completing their smile while they wait for their permanent teeth to come in. Most of the time, your child will only need these dentures temporarily. These are custom made to fit your little one’s mouth, as well as match the coloring of their other teeth. Whenever someone meets your kiddo, they will have no clue that the dentures are even there. These dentures function just like natural teeth, ensuring your child will have no issues eating their favorite meal—even if it’s chicken nuggets for the fifth time this week.

Common Reasons for Needing Partial Dentures

Hypodontia is a congenital (present at birth) defect where a child does not develop all of their teeth. As you can imagine, this can impact a child as they age, and not only aesthetically. The lack of bone growth with hypodontia can cause issues with a child’s speech and eating abilities.

As adorable as kiddos are missing those two front teeth, we don’t want it to happen too early. Premature tooth loss can create more issues than many people realize. If those teeth fall out before the adult teeth are ready to take their place, their bite can shift to fill in the gap, creating the need for extensive orthodontic care in the future. This shift can also interfere with their speech patterns and eating habits.

Though we do our best to keep our children in a protective bubble, accidents happen. Injuries that include tooth loss can lead to other issues. Sometimes there could be jaw issues from the accident itself, and other times the teeth can come out before the adult teeth are ready to jump in and help out.

Tooth decay is a common problem among children. When those cavities are left untreated, the decay will spread down into the root of the tooth. Sometimes it will even go to the neighboring teeth. This ends up creating plenty of discomfort and inevitable tooth loss.

No matter the reason, if your child is missing one or more of their baby teeth before it’s time for their permanent teeth to come in, they might benefit from pediatric partial dentures. Not only will this help their smile, but it will also help them maintain proper oral function—the all-important speech and eating abilities.

Benefits of Pediatric Partial Dentures

As mentioned earlier, those early teeth are for more than just creating a cute smile. A full set of teeth drastically helps us eat properly. When our food isn’t chewed well enough, it makes it harder for our stomachs to do their jobs properly, and digestion issues can run rampant.

Though a little lisp can sound adorable, we don’t want it to stick around as a child gets older. If a child is missing one or more of their baby teeth, their speech development can become compromised. This is an issue that can last into adulthood if not taken care of.

Many people don’t realize that when we lose a tooth, the neighboring teeth tend to shift to take up the space. This is true for both children and adults. If your child loses a tooth before it’s time, those teeth will migrate to try and help, but when the adult teeth come in, there is no more room. This problem will require orthodontics to help get their smile back on track.

Of course, using pediatric partial dentures to fill in the gaps in your child’s smile will help with their social interactions and self-esteem. Even if all of their peers are the sweetest people around, a child notices when things are different.

The Fitting Process

The very first step to any kind of cosmetic dentistry is to meet with the dentist and feel comfortable enough to talk through all of your questions and concerns. This is essential to making your child’s experience the best that it can be!

Next is getting an impression taken of your child’s teeth. Once that is done, the dentist will construct a custom set of dentures to match their natural smile perfectly. As a child is constantly growing, it’s important to keep up with those follow-up appointments. This allows the dentist to adjust the dentures as needed to keep their smile functioning perfectly.

No matter the reason, the team at Pediatric Dental Specialists is here for you.

Whether it’s from a congenital issue, an injury, or prior tooth decay, missing teeth happen. If at all possible, it’s best to help your little one out by getting that smile into tip-top shape.  Sometimes, pediatric partial dentures are the way to go!

If you think your child might benefit from a set, don’t hesitate to contact us for a consultation. We’re ready and waiting to help your little one’s smile be the best it can be!