Baby teeth or primary teeth are playing a very important role in a child’s life. They are vital for chewing and speech development and in maintaining the space for the adult teeth. For this reason, your child should be taught how to have a good dental hygiene from a very young age.
Normally, your children will have their first teeth around six months old. Sometimes maybe earlier as four months and as late as ten. No need to alarm if teething starts a little earlier or later. If you’re worried, see a dentist to make sure everything is as it should be. There are 20 baby teeth, ten at the top and ten at the bottom. Usually they erupt in pairs from the front of the mouth to the back. The bottom ones are arriving a couple of months prior to the top ones.
The ADA chart below illustrates the names of each tooth, at what age it is likely to erupt, and at what age they are then likely to be lost.
- Lower central incisors, the bottom middle teeth, typically come in first. These little ones usually arrive around the same time.
- Upper central incisors, the upper middle teeth, come next, usually between 8 and 12 months.
- Upper lateral incisors, around 9 to 13 months you can see the upper teeth to the right and left of center.
- Lower lateral incisors, the lower teeth to the right and left of center appear around 10 to 16 months. Now your baby can have the toothy smile.
- Upper first molars – your child’s first molars, the wider teeth toward the back of the mouth, erupt on the top between about 13 and 19 months.
- Lower first molars, the companion molars on the bottom emerge around 14 to 18 months.
- Upper canines fill the gap between the incisors and first molars at 16 to 22 months.
- Lower canines make their appearance around 17 to 23 months. Your child’s smile is the brightest.
- The second molars, around 23 to 33 months, the final teeth, the rear molars on the bottom and top, emerge.
By age 3, most children have a full set of 20 baby teeth and can give you a brilliant smile. And by around age six a child will start losing them to make way for their adult teeth.
For your children first dental visit please contact us on 02 8021 5285
