Untreated cavities in baby teeth can be just as detrimental to your child as cavities in their adult teeth, if not more. In the short term, cavities in baby teeth can cause pain and sensitivity that makes eating and sleeping difficult or uncomfortable, leading to poor sleep and eating habits. They can also impact things like speech development and articulation and contribute to infections in other parts of the body such as the ears and sinuses. Over time, untreated decay and infections can damage emerging permanent teeth that are still developing, and there is considerable evidence that having cavities at a young age increases the risk of poor dental health outcomes in the future.