Many of you are parents out there and probably have questions about how your children’s teeth grow. At what age should I start seeing teeth? When should they fall out? And later on in life, why or why not should we take out our teenagers wisdom teeth?
We can help answer these questions and more for you with the top seven questions and answers about children’s teeth.
Top 7 Questions About Children’s Teeth
1) When should babies teeth start to appear?
This honestly will depend on the child, but typically we see the first tooth appear between five to seven months. This can be a hard time when your child is teething. We recommend allowing them to chew on something cold.
2) At what age should children’s teeth fall out?
Typically between the ages of six and seven teeth become loose and start to fall out. Usually the middle bottom two will fall out first and then the top middle two. If your child’s teeth appeared early, you may lean towards the five and a half to six range. By the time an individual is 21 they should have all 32 permanent teeth established (16 top and 16 bottom). When your child is a teenager a panoramic X-Ray will give more information about the eruption of their teeth.
3) Why don’t you see the permanent tooth through the gum after the baby tooth fell out?
Sometimes it can take up to six months for the permanent tooth to appear through the gums. It has been pushing at the roots of the baby tooth, so it most likely isn’t right at the surface.
4) What happens if my child chips or breaks their baby teeth? Do they have to be pulled out?
Not necessarily. You do need to bring your child to our office for a consult and let us look at the tooth. Most times we can fix the chip, but prefer to leave the tooth alone until it is ready to fall out on its own. The situations where we would consider removing it is if it continues to be painful or is discolored. If your child loses a baby tooth very early, it may be necessary for a space maintainer to be placed so that there is enough room for the adult tooth underneath to come in when it’s ready.
5) How do I know if my child needs braces?
The most important thing to do is continue with your child’s every six months dental cleanings so the teeth can be monitored by the dentist. Every other appointment we will do X-Ray’s to monitor growth. There will be a stage where your son or daughter will have a combination of baby teeth and permanent teeth. Some may be crooked or over crowded, but we don’t want to do braces too early as more teeth are coming in. Overall, a common time for braces to begin is in middle school (nine to 12 years old), however some kids start as early as six to nine depending on skeletal growth and level of crowding.
6) What if my child loses a permanent tooth?
Please give our office a call immediately. We always have a dentist on call for emergencies like accidental falls or sports injuries. It is best to act quickly and bring your child in with the tooth that fell out. While you are getting to us, use gauze to help control any bleeding and have them bite down gently on it. Once we evaluate at our office, we will provide options to repair.
7) Can my child keep their wisdom teeth?
Yes and no. Each person is different. Some people’s mouths are large enough they can accommodate wisdom teeth, while others are too small and can cause crowding on your other teeth making them become crooked. If you keep them, the most important thing to do is to keep them clean. Poor hygiene that leads to cavities and gum infections is another reason they may need to be removed.
Questions About Your Children’s Teeth?
We know there can be a lot of questions about your children’s teeth, but we are always here to help answer any questions you have. Feel free to contact us or speak to us at your next regularly scheduled dental cleaning. And as always give us a call with any emergency! We are here to support you and your family.