Primary Teeth

Teeth are a wonderfully complex part of our bodies! It is easy for most of us to overlook all of the ways that our teeth have an impact upon our daily lives from birth to old age - from affecting the overall look of our face, aiding in speech and enjoying foods, to the important role they play in helping to prevent health problems in other parts of our body, including our heart.

Surprisingly, but your baby is born with a complete set of teeth! They are tiny, tiny teeth, hidden in the deep recesses of the jawbone. Primary teeth or "baby teeth" actually begin to form in the 1st trimester, this is just one example of why pre-natal care is so important.

From birth to about the age of 3, you will witness the gradual eruption of 20 primary teeth in your child's mouth. These primary teeth are so important because they are essential in the development of the dental arches and future location of our 32 permanent teeth (16 on the upper arch, 16 on the lower arch).

Taking good care of baby teeth is a must! Cavities spread rapidly in baby teeth because the enamel is thinner and it doesn't take long for decalification of the enamel to cavitate and quickly lead to a toothache. Large cavities can lead to abcesses and more systemic life threatening infections. Large cavities also lead to space loss and poor development of the dental arches. Toothaches and abcesses lead to sleepless nights and missed time at school.

By the time your child reaches the age of 3, they will have most (if not all) of their primary teeth. The first primary teeth lost are typically the lower front teeth around the age of 5 1/2 years. The process of shedding primary teeth usually lasts until the child is 12 or 13.

Again, it is important to properly care for your child's primary teeth because they ultimately aid in the development of your child's permanent teeth. Primary teeth serve many purposes, including:

• Chewing and eating
• Paving the way for permanent teeth
• Development of the jaw bone and muscles
• Speech and appearance

If your child loses a primary tooth too soon (either from injury or disease), the adult tooth may not be ready to erupt and a space maintainer may be needed to hold the space. In many cases, future problems can be avoided by space maintainers, which are appliances that hold surrounding teeth, keeping them in position. Once the permanent tooth is ready to erupt, the appliance may be removed. Vital space can be lost for the permanent tooth causing it to be completely or partially blocked from erupting at all, if a space maintainer is not used. Also, when primary teeth erupt out of their proper positions, called ectopically erupted teeth, this may lead to "malocclusion." A malocclusion causes teeth to become misaligned, crowded, or crooked. Consult our office if you think your child loses a primary tooth too soon or has had one extracted by a dentist because it was abcessed.

Permanent Teeth

The first permanent molars (which are not preceded by primary teeth) begin erupting around the age of 6. These first set of adult teeth have a significant impact on the structure and position of future teeth to erupt and, consequently, the shape of your child's lower face in years to follow! The first baby teeth to be lost are the lower central incisors also around the age of 6. (These are the front bottom teeth.) Through the ages of 6 to approximately 13, your child will lose all 20 baby teeth and add 8 additional permanent molars.

Periodic radiographs (x-rays) aid in detecting cavities as well as show all missing teeth, extra teeth, or teeth that are not erupting in the appropriate area also called ectopic eruption.

By age 16, most of us will have all of our 28 adult teeth. There are four more teeth to erupt called wisdom teeth or third molars which are predicted to erupt between the ages of 17 to 21.

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth, or third molars, typically begin to develop in early adolescence, and may attempt to erupt into the mouth around the ages of 17 to 21.

Most often our lower jaw does not permit enough room for our wisdom teeth to erupt. It's also possible for the wisdom teeth to erupt half way and get stuck, causing severe tissue inflammation and pain. We recommend that all four be removed if there is not enough room for them in the mouth and be functional and cleansable. Wisdom teeth can be removed after the roots are at least partially developed. Although our wisdom teeth are like any other teeth, most people continue to have normal bites and function well, even in their absence.