Baby teeth are vital for speaking, chewing and overall appearance. They also hold space in the jaw for the adult teeth. Baby teeth are also important to give your face shape and form.
At birth, a baby has 20 teeth that can start to appear on average at the age of six months. There will be ten on the upper jaw and another ten on the lower jaw. The last baby tooth won’t fall out until around age 12.
How many teeth will a child lose?
Sooner or later, a child will lose all 20 of his/her teeth. As mentioned earlier, the last baby teeth will fall out at the age of 12 or 13.
These baby teeth will be replaced by 32 permanent teeth. As your child loses a baby tooth, a permanent one will start to erupt to replace that too. All adult teeth will erupt by the age of 13, except wisdom teeth.
Which adult teeth will erupt first?
The incisors are usually the first teeth that will come out. Kids will lose their top and bottom baby incisors when they’re around 6 and 7 years old.
The next will be cuspids or canines. They’re pointy-shaped teeth that erupt next to the incisors. A will have a primary and permanent set of cuspids. They begin to erupt when a person reaches the age of 16 or 22 months. A child will mostly lose his/her cuspids while attending middle school.
Keeping Your Teeth in Tip-Top Shape
Once all baby teeth are gone and replaced by adult teeth, you should learn how to keep them in tip-top shape. Your best bet is to brush your teeth using fluoride toothpaste. Brush after eating. If you can’t, make sure to brush at least twice a day.
When brushing your teeth, make sure that you go in little circles. It’s also highly recommended to clean between your teeth using dental floss. Do it at least once a day. Flossing will remove food and plaque that stick between your teeth.
To keep your breath fresh, make sure to use a tongue scraper or just brush your teeth. A mouth rinse may also work, but you need to use an alcohol-free product.
Brushing and flossing are not enough to have perfect oral health. You need to visit your dentist every six months or as recommended. Your dentist will look for dental problems that you may have. Then, he/she will perform a dental cleaning procedure that can also polish your teeth.
To obtain a better picture of your mouth, an X-ray is requested. While you’re there, you might receive a fluoride treatment to strengthen your tooth enamel.
It’s also crucial to limit sugary drinks and foods. Sugar food options can hurt your teeth. They can also cause tooth decay or cavities. If you know how to take care of your teeth now, you can be sure that you’ll have a complete set of teeth for the rest of your life.