Most people remember what it was like lose their first baby tooth, the strange mix of fear and excitement that comes with advancing to the next stage of life. Still, most people lose all of their baby teeth without ever really understanding why they had them in the first place.

In fact, if you asked most people, they may not be able to give you a good answer for why baby teeth are necessary from a dental perspective, and why it’s so important to care for teeth that are going to come out anyway.

If you’ve ever been curious, here are a few key reasons why the baby teeth are so important, along with what your child can do to protect theirs.

For parents, finding someone that you can trust your child’s oral health to can be a tall order. There’s of course the challenge of finding someone with the right qualifications to treat children, but there are often other things that parents want from their child’s dentist. Even worse, parents can sometimes worry that they’re missing something, that there’s something they should be stressed about even if they aren’t.

Thankfully, the choice doesn’t actually have to be that complicated. Here are a few things you can look for to ensure that the dentist you’re picking for your child is a good one.