A Complete Guide on Milk Teeth and Permanent Teeth Written By: Dr. Ankita Shah, July 2019
Human beings are a diphyodont species, meaning we have two successive sets of teeth:
1) Primary more often referred as "deciduous" or "milk" or "baby" teeth.
2) Permanent teeth.
There are 20 primary teeth and 32 permanent teeth. Every tooth has a different job to do. Each milk tooth has a different time to erupt and shed which guides the underlying permanent teeth in position.
WHEN DO MILK AND PERMANENT TEETH ERUPT AND SHED?
Children start teething by 4 months onwards. Every child is unique and some children are late teethers. Do not panic just wait and watch atleast till 1.5yrs. The first milk teeth to erupt are the lower front teeth by 6-9 months of age. The eruption of milk teeth continues thereafter till the age of 2.5-3yrs. From there on, no changes will be visible in your child’s mouth until 6yrs of age. At the 6yrs of age, the lower front milk teeth start to wiggle and fall off. At the same time the first permanent molars start to erupt from behind your last milk tooth. As a parent, you should keep in mind that the eruption and shedding process will continue until 12-13yrs of age. The last teeth to shed are the molar and canine milk teeth. Hence you should not neglect any treatment for cavities in these teeth.
DO PERMANENT TEETH START ERUPTING EVEN BEFORE MILK TEETH START FALLING OFF ?
Typically a milk tooth starts to wiggle and is replaced by it permanent counterpart after it falls off. But when the milk tooth is not lost and permanent tooth erupts in the same place, it is termed as an over-retained tooth. This can cause the permanent teeth to grow in a crooked fashion. This is commonly seen in the lower front teeth which concerns parents the most.
Solution: Its best to bring it to the pediatric dentist’s notice and get them removed if suggested by the dentist.
WHY TAKING CARE OF MILK TEETH IS SO IMPORTANT?
You often tend to be convinced by the age old fables that milk teeth are just temporary and they wouldn't be meaningful in the long run. Only the lower front teeth are lost at the age of 6, whereas the molars are lost by 10-12 yrs of age. These baby teeth play a critical role for many reasons which are as follows:
1) They guide your child to chew food properly thereby maintaining healthy nourishment.
2) They help to develop a normal speech pattern.
3) They maintain space and guide the permanent teeth in position and prevent malalignment.
4) They assist in normal growth and development of the jaws.
5) They also aid in establishing a beautiful smile that leads to a positive self-esteem in your child.
COMMON TRANSITIONS SEEN IN MILK AND PERMANENT TEETH:
Milk teeth frequently are seen with spacing to accommodate their permanent counterparts in future. Permanent teeth are yellower than the milk teeth which concerns most parents, that’s a natural tooth colour which cannot be changed. An interesting transition called the “Ugly duckling stage” is seen around 7-12yrs of age where the upper permanent front teeth become angulated and start to show spacing. A dental visit during this phase is a must to rule out any possibility of crowding in teeth that would require braces.
GENERAL ORAL CARE RECOMMENDATIONS:
Although eruption of milk teeth starts 6 months onward, baby feeds including mother's milk, bottled milk and other infant formulas lead to a caries conducive environment for these teeth. Hence it is very important to start oral care right from infancy.
In addition to brushing and flossing, some of the preventive measures include 6 monthly dental visits, fluoride varnish applications and pit and fissure sealants. Professional fluoride applications like Fluoride gels and varnishes are recommended worldwide as an anticavity measure right from the age of 2 yrs. Sealants protect kids from cavities during the most critical years. One should seal their teeth as soon as they erupt i.e 6yrs for the first permanent molars.
"A smiling face increases your face value. From 20 to 32, we pediatric dentists will help you sail through."
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Keywords : milk and permanent teeth, teething, milk teeth falling, eruption of milk and permanent teeth, ugly duckling stage
Note : This article was written and published by Dr. Ankita Shah for WorldOfMoms.