Milk teeth

introduction

The milk teeth (dens deciduus or dens lactatis) represents the first set of teeth in most mammals, including humans, and is replaced by permanent teeth in later life.

The term "milk teeth" or "milk teeth" can be traced back to the color of the teeth, because they have a white, slightly bluish shimmering color that is very similar to that of milk.

Compared to permanent dentition (32 teeth) the deciduous dentition has only 20 teeth. This difference makes because of the significantly smaller Jaws a baby or toddler. But it is not only the number of teeth, but also their width and tooth root length that make a clear difference between the "adult" and the "Children's teeth“Represents.

Just like the permanent set of teeth, the deciduous set of teeth can also be divided into four quadrants, two per jaw. Of the 1. Quadrant describes the right one upper jaw, of the 2. the left one, the 3. the left Lower jaw and the 4. the right lower jaw.
Each of these quadrants contains five milk teeth, the central incisor (Dens incisivus), the lateral incisor, the canine (Dens caninus) and the first and second molar (Molar).

Tooth eruption (Lacteal Dention)

The eruption of the deciduous teeth usually begins between the 6th and 9th month of life, but this is by no means a fixed time, because the first deciduous tooth can also erupt significantly earlier or later. It is noticeable, however, that the eruption of teeth in boys often starts a little later and for this reason ends much later. Teething is usually painful for the child and it is not uncommon for it to lead to a rising core body temperature (fever). As a rule, the milk teeth do not break through randomly, but in an orderly order, but there are exceptions here as well.

Usually the central upper incisors emerge from the jaw first

(about 6th - 9th month of life), the lower opposing teeth (antagonists) usually follow a little later. The central incisors are followed first by the side incisors (approx. 8-12 months of age), a little later the first molars

(approx. 12-16th month of life), then the canines (approx. 16-20th month of life) and finally the 2nd molars (approx. 20-30th month of life).

At this point in time, the opposing teeth (antagonists) are not yet in direct contact with one another, they do not touch. In most cases, the deciduous dentition is fully equipped by the age of 30 months and by the age of 3 the deciduous dentition is fully interlocked. The term “toothing” here means that at this point in time all tooth crowns are in contact with the respective opposing tooth. However, the complete interlocking of the upper and lower jaw does not mean that the milk teeth will not continue to grow. In fact, even after the third year of life, the tooth roots are not completely mature. Even after the last milk tooth has broken through, the tooth roots increase significantly in length.Most children are around six to seven years old by the time their deciduous teeth are fully mature. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for an infant to be born partially toothed, in these cases what are known as “dens connati” or “witch's teeth”. When breastfeeding, these teeth can cause irritation and inflammation of the nipples. The different milk teeth have a different number of roots, the deciduous incisors and canines each have one root, the deciduous molars in the lower jaw two and the deciduous molars in the upper jaw even three roots. This is a common feature between adult and deciduous teeth, because permanent teeth also have a different number of roots. During the change of teeth, the roots of the milk teeth dissolve, so that the deciduous teeth that have fallen out usually no longer have any roots. In contrast to the permanent tooth, the milk tooth is very soft, which is due to the fact that the enamel in the milk teeth has not yet fully matured. For this reason, milk teeth are more prone to caries and require more careful care. It is sufficient to brush the milk teeth only once a day during the first year of life, but as the number of teeth increases, so should the care behavior. Many dentists also recommend the weekly use of a toothpaste containing fluoride to harden the milk tooth from the outside. Too frequent use, however, quickly leads to unsightly fluoride deposits.

Read more on the topic: Teething in the baby

Transition phase

The progressive growth of the upper and lower jaw leads over time to the fact that the gaps between the milk teeth (interdental spaces) increase more and more and thus space is created for the significantly larger, permanent teeth. This process is completely normal and important for the further development of the jaw and teeth. The milk teeth also play an important role in relation to the eruption of the permanent teeth.

It stands to reason, therefore, that the early, mostly caries-related loss of a milk tooth is not without problems. The missing tooth creates a gap that narrows over time and ultimately no longer offers enough space for the permanent tooth.

As a result, there are often misaligned teeth in the permanent set of teeth.

In the event of premature deciduous tooth loss, dentists use splints or braces, which act as placeholders in the deciduous teeth. Ultimately, however, early tooth loss does not only lead to aesthetic problems; disturbances in normal language development are also conceivable.

Tooth change (permanent dention)

After the deciduous teeth from the 6th-7th At the age of 6 and 14, a change of teeth follows in humans. This change of teeth is usually only between the 17th and 30th Year of life completed through the eruption of the wisdom teeth.

The permanent teeth also emerge from the jaw in an orderly order.

The first molars usually erupt first, which is why they are popularly called "6-year molars". Then the central incisor of each quadrant appears (6th - 8th year of age), followed by the lateral incisor (8th - 9th year of age), the canine of the lower jaw (9th - 11th year of age), the first premolar (premolar) ( 10-12 years of age), the canine tooth in the upper jaw (11-13 years of age), the second premolar (11-13 years of age), the second molar (12-14 years of age) and the whiteness tooth (17. - 30 years of age).

Read more on the topic: Change of teeth in the child