Milk teeth in children

Mothers often ask: at what age should children’s teeth be monitored? And children’s dentists answer: you should start before the birth of the child.

After all, temporary or, as they are called, milk teeth are laid during the prenatal development of the baby. They are affected by whether the mother had toxicosis, whether she has chronic diseases. But the main thing is whether the expectant mother has cured her teeth, whether she has gum disease. Caries in a pregnant woman can lead to the development of caries in an infant, and diseased milk teeth will later lead to diseases of the main teeth.

When a baby is born, his mouth is sterile. It is populated by the microflora that mom, dad, grandparents have. Therefore, it is not necessary to kiss the babies on the lips, lick their nipple, spoon. Don’t give them your bacteria! And all family members should have their teeth treated before the birth of a child.

How many milk teeth do children have

First, two lower front teeth erupt, then two upper ones, then from 9 months to a year – the lateral lower incisors, up to a year and a half – the upper incisors, molars. And so, naturally alternating, by the age of 2 – 5 years, the child has 3 milk teeth. The remaining teeth immediately grow permanent.

But often there are deviations from the scheme. For example, a baby may be born with already erupted teeth. As a rule, these will be the bottom two. Alas, they will have to be removed immediately: they are inferior, interfere with the child and injure the mother’s breasts.

Sometimes teeth are a little late or erupt in the wrong order. It’s not worth worrying. This happens due to toxicosis of the first half of pregnancy in the mother or genetic characteristics. As a rule, the same thing happened to one of the parents. But if at one and a half, and at two years the baby’s teeth still do not erupt, it must be shown to the endocrinologist. Such a delay may indicate some violations of the endocrine system.

The very process of the appearance of milk teeth is not easy. Every mother would dream: in the evening the child fell asleep, and in the morning he woke up with a tooth. But that doesn’t happen. At first, the child begins to salivate profusely, and since the baby still does not swallow well, he may cough at night. At 8-9 months, the child already swallows well, but abundant saliva causes increased intestinal motility, loose stools appear. The kid becomes capricious, whiny, does not sleep well. Sometimes his temperature rises to 37,5 degrees. And if the child is very worried, you can buy gels for teeth at the pharmacy on the recommendation of the dentist – they smear the gums, various teethers, there are a lot of them now. They will ease the condition of the baby.

When do baby teeth fall out?

It is believed that, on average, milk teeth begin to change to permanent ones from the age of six. But, as a rule, at what time the milk teeth erupted, at that age they begin to change. If the first teeth appeared at 5 months, then the permanent ones will begin to appear at 5 years, if at 6 months – then at 6 years. They fall out in the same way as they grew: first the lower incisors loosen, then the upper ones. But if it’s the other way around, no big deal. At 6-8 years old, the lateral and central incisors change, at 9-11 years old – the lower canines, at 10-12 years old, small molars, upper canines appear, and by 13 years after the appearance of the second molars, the formation of a permanent bite ends.

What to pay attention to

When a baby tooth falls out, the socket may bleed. It should be wiped with a sterile swab. And the baby should not be allowed to eat or drink for two hours. On this day, generally exclude spicy, sweet or bitter foods.

And one more thing: you need to properly feed your teeth. That is: during their growth, the child should eat foods with calcium: cheese, cottage cheese, milk, kefir. More fruits and vegetables, and he should gnaw some of them: so that the roots of milk teeth are better absorbed, and the roots are strengthened.

Be sure to fish twice a week. It has phosphorus. And it is better to completely exclude sweets, especially viscous toffee, sweet soda and pastries.

The procedure for changing milk teeth in children

Do I need to see a pediatric dentist?

Usually the change of milk teeth does not require a visit to the doctor, but sometimes the process is too painful or with complications. In this case, you need to consult a specialist.

When to see a doctor

If during teething the child’s temperature rises above 37,5 degrees. A temperature above 38 degrees is not typical for the appearance of milk teeth and it is possible that the baby develops another disease that parents mistakenly take as a reaction to tooth growth.

If the baby cries for a long time, worries all the time, eats poorly and sleeps poorly for several days, you need to contact a pediatric dentist to prescribe a gel for lubricating the gums for the child and suggest which teethers to buy at the pharmacy.

There are cases when a doctor needs to be consulted in advance.

At 5-6 years old, the child has gaps between the incisors and fangs. This is normal as the permanent teeth are larger than the milk teeth and need more space. If there are no such gaps, this can interfere with the development of a normal bite, there simply will not be enough space for new teeth. And you need to visit the dentist in advance, before changing your teeth.

An orthodontist should be seen if a baby tooth has been removed or has fallen out as a result of an injury. A new one in its place has not yet begun to grow. Other milk teeth may fill the empty space. And later, the main tooth simply has nowhere to go, it can become crooked. Now there are ways to prevent this.

Another danger of a bite defect is if the milk teeth have not yet fallen out, and the molars are already erupting. In this case, you also have one road – to the dentist. Do you want your child to have a beautiful smile?

And it is absolutely necessary to run to the doctor for any manifestations of caries of milk teeth. It develops very quickly and extremely harms the rudiments of the main teeth.