5 Important Things Our Dentist Wants You to Know About Your Kid’s New Teeth

Our kids’ dentist Dr. Sura believes that learning about how your children’s teeth grow can help you monitor and eventually teach your kids good oral health. Here are 5 quick facts from our family dentist:

1. Your child’s first teeth typically appear around six-twelve months of age. Typically, the two bottom front teeth are the first to show. Next, the top four front teeth will break through. Additionalteeth will then slowly begin to fill in empty spaces, usually two at a time-one on the right and one on the left sides, until all of them appear. All baby teeth should break through by the age of three, but note that girls’ teeth usually come through before boys’ teeth do.
2. Your child’s mouth will contain 20 primary teeth once they have all erupted. Your child should have 20 baby teeth, which include the following types:

• 4 second molars
• 4 first molars
• 4 cuspids
• 4 lateral incisors
• 4 central incisors

3. Baby teeth are vital for good oral health. It’s important to make sure your child takes diligent care of his or her primary teeth. Although they’re only in the mouth a short while, baby teeth:

• Hold space for permanent teeth.
• Give the face a normal appearance.
• Aid in the development of proper speech.
• Help your child eat well–missing or decayed teeth can make it difficult to chew, leading to poor nutrition.
• Can affect the health of permanent teeth–decay and infection in primary teeth may cause damage to developing permanent teeth

4. Shortly after age 4, the jaw and facial bones begin to grow. This growth creates gaps between baby teethand provides the necessary space for the larger permanent teeth to come in.
5. Permanent teeth begin to come in around the age of 6. Between the ages of 6 and 12, a combination of primary and permanent teeth are in the mouth. By 13, most permanent teeth are in place. Wisdom teeth emerge between the ages of 17 and 21, bringing the total number of permanent teeth to 32.

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To schedule an appointment with our kids’ dentist, contact Reveal Dental in Cedar Park today!