What you need to know about milk teeth

Already between week 14 and week 18 in the fetal stage, mineralization of baby teeth begins. The formation of teeth is a process that is controlled by genes down to the smallest detail. Therefore, one can often recognize the parents’ dental condition in the child. If the mother has a small jaw and the father has large teeth, problems in the formation of teeth in children can occur.

THE FIRST TEETH

Tooth eruption of deciduous teeth, also called milk teeth or baby teeth, takes place in approximately the same order as in all mammals. The front teeth appear first, followed by the side teeth and further back – until all the adult teeth are in place. We normally have 20 milk teeth, which make up two front teeth, a canine, a first molar and a second molar in each jaw quadrant.

The deciduous teeth come at certain periods of life:

• 6-12 months: central incisors
• 9-16 months: lateral teeth
• 16-23 months: canines
• 13-19 months: first molar
• 22-33 months: second molar

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF MILK TEETH?

As soon as the first tooth announces its arrival, brushing both morning and evening is important. Brushing can be a daily struggle, but until the child becomes accustomed to brushing teeth, it may be easier to brush while the child is lying down. Then, the child can sit on your lap, with the head in the corner of your arm – and in the end it will go playfully easy.

It can also be a good idea to let the child brush a little him/herself, and make the tooth brushing a little playful – for example with the rabbit’s brushing song. Moreover, another advice is to use a soft toothbrush adapted to the child’s age and choose a toothpaste that is adapted to the child’s first teeth.

WHEN DO CHILDREN START LOOSING THEIR MILK TEETH?

The loosing of milk teeth usually begins at the age of 5, and approximately when the child turns 13 all deciduous teeth have erupted. Then, also 28 permanent teeth will have erupted. While some never get wisdom teeth, others get it when they are around 18. However, it is not uncommon to have wisdom teeth erupt up to the age of 26.