Baby teeth: how they emerge, fall off and taken care of

4 years ago

When babies are born, we don’t see their teeth but to our surprise, they started having teeth during the early stages of pregnancy. Yes, you heard right. Children have teeth since their birth but they are beneath those bare gum. These bare gums are the buds of all of the baby teeth.

As the baby grows, the calcium from the baby’s diet started depositing and hardening around the buds before emerging out from the gums. This process of coming out of primary teeth is known as an Eruption.

At the age of six months, the baby’s primary or deciduous teeth emerge out. The first teeth that emerge out are the incisors located in the front and center of the jaws. Then appear first molars, canines followed by second molars. The primary teeth emerge until the age of three years. A total of 20 primary teeth emerge out in a human child. Dentists recommend taking your child to a dental clinic at this age so that they can check whether the teeth are okay and the child gets a habit of going to the dental clinic.

Primary teeth are the temporary teeth. They just act like placeholders for permanent or secondary teeth. The roots of the primary teeth begin to dissolve and make room for secondary teeth.

After the fall off of primary teeth, permanent teeth come out. Here 6 molars come first followed by incisors and canines and then cusped teeth, second molars and third molars. A total of 32 permanent teeth are there.

Now to keep your child’s teeth strong and healthy, teach your child to have some healthy food choices. Add fresh fruits and vegetables, salad, milk, cheese, yogurt in their daily diet. Avoid sticky, sugary candies, too many sweets, juices, and soda water. Teach them to brush twice daily.

After all the precautions, if your ward’s pearly white is in ruin, take an appointment to the dentist as soon as possible.

Seema Jain

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