How many baby teeth should children have at different ages?

From this article you will learn:

• how many baby teeth does a person have,
• How are temporary teeth different from permanent teeth?
• Scheme of loss of baby teeth in children.

Milk teeth are a set of twenty temporary teeth that begin to erupt in a child, usually at the age of 5-6 months (the central incisors of the lower jaw erupt first). The need for temporary teeth is evolutionarily determined by the small size of the jaws of newborns. Permanent teeth are much larger than milk teeth, and their number is 1.5 times greater, and therefore, if children immediately had permanent teeth, they simply would not be able to fit into small jaws.

Because of this, in small jaws, smaller temporary teeth (in a reduced number) erupt first, and only when the jaws reach the desired size does the child replace milk teeth with permanent ones. Therefore, the time when baby teeth fall out in children is integrally connected with the growth of the jaw bones and the development of the rudiments of permanent teeth. Typically, the loss of primary teeth begins in children at the age of 6 years, and in girls this process begins earlier and proceeds faster.

In Fig. 2 you can see how the change of baby teeth to permanent ones in children looks like on an x-ray. In this case, we see that the child has already erupted permanent central and lateral incisors, as well as the first permanent molars. But in the lateral sections of the jaws we also see still preserved milk teeth, between the roots of which the rudiments of permanent teeth are located.

What are baby teeth?

A child may believe that baby teeth are needed only so that the Tooth Fairy has something to build her snow-white castle from. But adults should know the truth. When a child is still very small, his head, and therefore his jaw, are small. If the baby, instead of milk teeth, began to cut molars immediately, they would not fit into the mouth either in size or in number. Therefore, nature gave us a temporary solution for the first ten years.

There are 20 primary teeth in total (10 each on the upper and lower jaws). These are incisors - central and lateral, canines, and molars. Usually, a child already has all of them at the age of 3-3.5 years.

Milk teeth differ from primary teeth not only in size, but also in structure. The enamel of primary teeth is approximately 2 times thinner and not as rich in minerals. Therefore, the child needs to carefully monitor oral hygiene - caries on baby teeth develops very quickly. Milk teeth have thin not only enamel, but also the layer underneath it - dentin - so caries quickly develops into pulpitis. Baby teeth have both nerves and roots, but they are shorter than molars. The latter gradually “dissolve” during the period of change of bite. This is why the teeth begin to loosen.

If baby teeth are not taken care of and treated, the child’s gums may become inflamed, and the embryos of the molars may suffer or die. Don't leave caries unattended!

Features of care

A permanent bite requires careful care and attention. First of all, parents should teach their child the rules of hygiene:

• using a toothbrush twice a day (at least 3 minutes);
• if possible, rinse your mouth after eating, especially when it comes to sweets;
• using dental floss to clean the interdental space.

In addition, preventive visits to the dentist are mandatory. At an early age, the enamel is more susceptible to the influence of external factors, so caries progresses quickly. The pathological process can also affect the pulp (its size in a child is larger than in an adult), which will require long-term and painful treatment.

Particular attention should be paid to a balanced diet, active recreation, and walks in the fresh air. If you live in a region where the number of sunny days per year is small, you should discuss with your pediatrician the issue of using vitamin D and preparations containing calcium.

How and when do teeth change?

Loss of primary teeth begins at approximately 6-7 years of age and usually lasts until 10-12 years of age. Note that girls say goodbye to temporary teeth earlier than boys and the replacement process itself is more dynamic for them.

Parents will be able to guess that their child’s baby teeth are about to change due to a number of factors: due to jaw growth, the distance between the incisors will increase, the rudiments of molars become visible under the baby teeth, and the primary teeth become loose.

On average, the age at which a child changes teeth corresponds to the years given in the tables below:

Order of loss of baby teeth

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Please note that the new tooth may not be in a hurry to take the place of the fallen one. If a couple of weeks or even more than a month have passed and there is still no molar, this is not a reason to panic. Also keep in mind that there are more molars, so some take their place without changing their predecessors. For example, molars or (the first permanent molars), erupt from scratch at the age of 5-7 years - they should not be confused with milk teeth.

Growth of molars

Molars are called a little differently than baby teeth. Try not to get confused:

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If you do not take into account the third molars (which are also called wisdom teeth), girls receive a fully formed jaw by 11-13 years, and boys by 13-14 years.

It is important to understand that the baby tooth may not be replaced. For example, if the germ of a molar tooth has died, then nothing pushes the temporary tooth to leave the mouth. People live with partial milk teeth even into their 30s. Therefore, if a baby tooth does not fall out, you should not try to loosen it or try to pull it out at home. Below we will look at other problems when changing teeth.

Hyperdontia in an adult

In adults, hyperdontia is much more common than in children. Additional teeth are mainly located in the palate or on the gums, which is unnatural and contrary to the norm. The eruption of an “extra” tooth can cause the following symptoms:

• Impaired diction. The person begins to burr and vaguely pronounce some sounds and sound combinations.
• A feeling of discomfort caused by the abnormal position of supernumerary teeth. Such teeth provoke curvature of the dentition.
• Malocclusion. This problem entails a number of dental diseases, such as pathological tooth wear, impaired diction and others.
• Damage to the oral mucosa with subsequent inflammation;
• Impaired chewing function, which leads to gastrointestinal problems.

This type of anomaly often causes nervous breakdowns and mental disorders. Due to the displacement of the dentition, healthy teeth lose their strength and begin to loosen under the pressure of the growing supernumerary rudiment. The jawbone swells, which leads to pain. Constant aching pain leads to irritability, apathy and deterioration in general well-being.

Deviations in timing and problems when changing teeth

One or another problem with the loss of baby teeth and the germination of molars occurs in at least every tenth child. Fortunately, dentists are ready to correct the bite during the growth stage, remove extra teeth, and even insert an implant if there is no point in waiting for a root one.

Let's look at the main deviations that may cause concern:

"Shark's Mouth"

Sometimes baby teeth do not have time to fall out, but the molars have already grown “second row”. The “shark’s mouth” is not worth admiring. You need to go to the dentist as soon as possible and remove unnecessary temporary teeth, otherwise your bite may be significantly damaged.

Untimely change of teeth

If the first baby teeth begin to leave the baby’s mouth before 5 years of age or after 8 years of age, then this is a deviation from the norm, which means you need to understand the reason. Trauma, caries, ecology, nutrition, congenital problems with bite or other heredity, various infectious diseases, hormonal problems (for example, thyroid disease), as well as diseases due to which the child is at risk for underdevelopment and delay may be to blame. formation of permanent dentition (diabetes, leukemia, immunodeficiency and others).

The molar does not grow in place of the lost milk tooth

There is no need to panic, but it is worth consulting with a specialist. For example, if a molar tooth does not erupt, although the baby tooth has fallen out a long time ago, the reason cannot be determined with ordinary eyes, but an x-ray will help. If there is no tooth germ in the picture, this is called adentia. This problem is extremely rare - the tooth simply has nothing to grow from. The decision will require the help of a prosthetist.

With retention, the germ of a new tooth is present, but it is directed incorrectly or is deep in the gum. All that remains is to wait for the tooth to grow. This problem occurs more often in the lower third molars, as well as in the upper incisors and canines.

With impaction, the tooth cannot come out due to the close fit of neighboring teeth. Here, too, you cannot do without the help of professionals.

We also advise you to consult a doctor if:

• molars appear darkened or grow crooked;
• the order of tooth loss and growth differs significantly from the above graphs;
• the child’s gums hurt and his cheek is swollen;
• baby tooth is corroded by caries;
• a tooth fell out, but blood from the socket does not stop oozing for more than an hour (not to be confused with ichor).

Jaws don't grow because of soft food

One of the options for underdevelopment of the lower jaw. Specific “bird” profile.

The same patient. Stereolithography of the skull.

Reducing the load below the intended one leads to two very unpleasant consequences. The jaws begin to lag behind in development. As a result, lower and upper micrognathia is formed - underdevelopment of the jaws. The photos above show a very tough case. Most often this is a consequence of concomitant genetic disorders. But even on a less impressive scale, this is a wild headache for orthodontists. You can simply move and tilt individual teeth. It is almost impossible to adjust the position and size of the jaws, especially in adulthood. You will have to break bones, reshape the position of muscles, joints, tongue and much more.

Is it possible to pull out a baby tooth yourself?

At home, you can remove a baby tooth only if it is well loosened and you can walk freely in the socket.

It is important that the child does not have a cold: coughing, sneezing, runny nose - these are stop signals for home removal of a baby tooth. Examine the child’s mouth - if there is swelling or bleeding of the gums, your manipulations may lead to infection in the socket. It's better to see a dentist.

If you still decide to pull out a baby tooth, it is better not to experiment with tying the object to be removed to the door handle.

The best way is this: wrap the tooth with gauze soaked in alcohol and pull it out of the hole until it comes out. The tooth can also be wrapped with sterile thread and pulled strictly perpendicular to the jaw.

After the manipulations are successful, the child needs to rinse his mouth, the parent needs to see if there are any parts of the tooth left in the socket (if the tooth is broken and something remains, you need to go to the doctor). Sterile cotton wool is placed in the hole for 20 minutes: the child must press it with his teeth to stop the bleeding. Make sure your child does not drink or eat for a couple of hours after tooth extraction.

If the tooth falls out on its own, also put cotton wool in the hole and do not let the baby drink or eat for a while.

What not to do?

The following rules will help you avoid bite problems and the appearance of various defects:

• do not allow your child to loosen his teeth if they are not yet going to fall out and are firmly in place;
• teach your child not to touch a loose tooth with dirty hands (and, of course, he should not pick the hole when the tooth has just fallen out);
• Do not give your child a lot of solid foods during the period of bite changes. This way he can break a baby tooth;
• do not fill the hole after tooth loss with alcohol;
• You shouldn’t make fun of your child’s temporary toothlessness.

Where to put baby teeth after they fall out?

The first tooth can be kept as a souvenir or given to the child to put in a box with children's valuables. If sentimentality is not accepted in your family, then the tooth can be thrown out.

In many families, the tooth is placed under the pillow to be taken away in exchange for a coin or small treat by the Tooth Fairy. This character came to us from the West. The fairy builds a castle from children's teeth in which good dreams are born.

But there is also a domestic tradition - to give a lost tooth to a mouse, which can also thank you with a gift. Previously, the tooth was thrown underground or hidden behind the stove with the words “Here, mouse, a bast tooth! Give me a bone one, mouse!” Now this story is more suitable for residents of private houses. It's up to you to decide whether it's worth chasing a mouse into an apartment on the 20th floor, even if it's a fabulous one. But you can take absolutely any magical character that your child likes and come up with a story about where and why the baby’s tooth will end up.

Interesting fact: baby teeth contain both stem and progenitor cells. Scientists believe that in the future, with the development of science and technology, baby teeth can be used for the benefit of their owners, for example, to treat serious diseases. But in order to preserve the cells in the tooth, special storage conditions are required, which, unfortunately, cannot be created at home.