Dental Health and Your Child's Teeth

How Do My Children’s Teeth Erupt?
While every child is different, most of the primary teeth (baby teeth) come in between the ages of 4 and 12 months.  During the previous months your children’s baby teeth have been forming from the tooth buds in their jaw, and now they’re starting their painful upward journey through the gums and out into the world. The following are general guidelines for the eruption of the baby teeth:

• The first tooth to erupt is usually a middle, front tooth on the lower jaw, known as the central incisor. This is followed by the second central incisor on the lower jaw.
• Next, the four upper incisors usually come in.
• The above is followed by the first four molars, and the remaining bottom two lateral incisors. Lateral incisors are beside of (lateral to) the central incisors.
• Then the cuspids, or the pointed teeth, appear.
• Usually, after the child reaches 2 years old, the four second molars (the last of the baby teeth) appear.

The teeth on the upper jaw usually erupt one to two months after the same tooth on the lower jaw. There are a total of 20 primary teeth. Usually, about one tooth erupts per month once the teeth have started coming in. There is normally a space between all the baby teeth. This leaves room for the larger permanent teeth to erupt.

For Childrens dentist in Deepdene and Mont Albert call Tower Dental (03) 9817 7144 today.

Where Do These Teeth Come From?
Teeth are formed by the previously mentioned ‘tooth buds’, which will also be responsible for the formation of their adult teeth. In some patients, they’ll also have something of a genetic throwback in the form of 3rd molars. These teeth existed when our diets consisted of much harder to chew and digest food than we have now, but some people still have them grow in. You may know them as ‘Wisdom Teeth’. When these teeth come in they can cause all sorts of problems, the good news is you don’t typically have to deal with them until their late teens.

How Their Teeth Loosen And Fall Out
Have you ever wondered exactly what the processes are that lead to the baby teeth loosening and falling out? What basically happens is that the tooth buds form a whole new set of teeth which start growing up under the old teeth. In the process, the old roots are killed off and the teeth pushed up and out of the way, getting loose before they fall out. The first sign that this is happening is typically your child announcing that they have loose teeth. While you may be tempted to help the tooth come out, it’s better to let it go through the process on its own and fall out naturally. Prematurely trying to remove the tooth can result in breaking a still living root, which can lead to infection.
 

For Childrens dentist in Hawthorn and Camberwell call Tower Dental (03) 9817 7144 today.

When will my child's permanent teeth come in?

Your child will begin losing his/her primary teeth (baby teeth) around the age of 6. The first teeth to be lost are usually the central incisors. This is then followed by the eruption of the first permanent molars. The last baby tooth is usually lost around the age of 12, and is the cuspid or second molar. There will be a total of 32 permanent, or adult, teeth.

Other primary tooth eruption facts:

• A general rule of thumb is that for every 6 months of life, approximately 4 teeth will erupt.
• Girls generally precede boys in tooth eruption.
• Lower teeth usually erupt before upper teeth.
• Teeth in both jaws usually erupt in pairs -- one on the right and one on the left.
• Primary teeth are smaller in size and whiter in color than the permanent teeth that will follow.
• By the time a child is 2 to 3 years of age, all primary teeth should have erupted.

Shortly after age 4, the jaw and facial bones of the child begin to grow, creating spaces between the primary teeth. This is a perfectly natural growth process that provides the necessary space for the larger permanent teeth to emerge. Between the ages of 6 and 12, a mixture of both primary teeth and permanent teeth reside in the mouth.

For Childrens dentist in Surrey Hills and Kew call Tower Dental (03) 9817 7144 today.

Why Is it Important to Care for Baby Teeth?

While it's true that baby teeth are only in the mouth a short period of time, they play a vital role. Baby teeth:

• Reserve space for their permanent counterparts
• Give the face its normal appearance.
• Aid in the development of clear speech.
• Help attain good nutrition (missing or decayed teeth make it difficult to chew, causing children to reject foods)
• Help give a healthy start to the permanent teeth (decay and infection in baby teeth can cause damage to the permanent teeth developing beneath them)

If you’ve recently had a new baby, or are expecting one to be coming along soon, stop in and have a chat with one of our friendly dentists at Tower Dental in Balwyn today.