Children's Oral Health: The Silent Crisis

Dentistry Books for Children

Sedation and General Anesthesia





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What's so special about baby teeth? Why would you need to worry about them? They will fall out anyhow.

There are many misconceptions about baby teeth. There is even confusion about what to call them. Deciduous teeth, primary teeth, milk teeth (dientes de leche, Milchzahn) are some of the terms used. 

When do they erupt?
The truth about teething
When will they fall out?
Eruption times of primary and permanent teeth
 
 

When do they erupt?

Usually the first teeth erupt around 6 months of age. There is a lot of variation in the timing of tooth eruption. Some children are born with teeth, others may be 12 months old before the first tooth erupts. In the majority of cases the first teeth to erupt are the lower front teeth (incisors).
Around age 2-3 years all 20 primary teeth are erupted. Discuss any concerns about eruption timing and sequence with your pediatric dentist.
 
 

Teething-Virus?

Eruption of teeth is a normal physiologic process. It is not associated with fever, diarrhea, cough, rubbing of the ear or cheek, or other systemic disease.
"Teething" has historically even been attributed as cause of death for many children. It is indeed often a waste-basket diagnosis. When no other explanation for symptoms is found the eruption of teeth is blamed as the cause of disease.
Fever and pain associated with tooth eruption can in reality be caused by a primary herpetic infection. Dr. King and his group of researchers have demonstrated that the type 1 herpes simplex virus may indeed be the cause of many cases of  pain and fever falsly interpreted as "teething".

How long will my child have baby teeth?

The last baby teeth are usually lost around age 11-12 years. At age 9 many children will still have 12 primary teeth. Again there is a wide variation with this and sometimes permanent teeth may have problems erupting or are missing. Regular check-ups and x-rays help to diagnose problems. Pediatric dentists are the ones most familiar with these situations and can recommend appropriate treatment.

Eruption times of teeth

If you insist here is a list with typical eruption times for primary and permanent teeth. There is very wide variation. Sometimes lists like these can cause unnecessary concerns with parents, so please take it with a grain of salt and don't expect too much from it.