Change of teeth in the child
introduction
Of the Change of teeth in the child describes the process in which the Milk teeth (1. Dentition) through the teeth of the permanent Dentition (2. Teething) be replaced.
The baby is usually born edentulous. This is probably to protect the child, but above all it is a protection against injury Breastfeeding through the mother. In rare cases, the birth Teeth are present, one also speaks of natal Teeth.
The lower jaw teeth are mostly affected. These teeth are usually not properly developed and very flexible. To protect against swallowing and also to enable breastfeeding, it is recommended to have these natal teeth extracted.
As a rule, however, the baby is born edentulous. The first to break after six to eight months Lower jaw Incisors through.
The passage of teeth through the lining of the mouth is painful for the children in most cases.
The pain can e.g. can be alleviated by teething rings. This is followed by the upper incisors, the milk teeth (Deciduous molars) and the canines. As a rule, all milk teeth have erupted after two years +/- 6 months. The milk teeth consist of a total of 20 teeth. Five teeth on each side, i.e. two incisors, one canine and two deciduous molars.
The change of teeth in the child now leads to the fact that the milk teeth are displaced by the teeth of the permanent set of teeth and fall out. In the upper and lower jaws, the abutments for the permanent teeth have been located since birth, but these develop later and more slowly.
The permanent teeth develop further with advancing age and grow towards the maxillary sinus. This growth leads to the fact that the roots of the milk teeth begin to dissolve (to resorb).
As a result, they later begin to wobble and fall out, or small children often pull them out themselves, these teeth are called replacement teeth.
Read on under: Incisor wobbles
In the permanent dentition, a distinction is made between replacement teeth and incremental teeth. Incidental teeth erupt behind the deciduous teeth. Do not replace teeth, but increase the total number of teeth. The first tooth of the permanent dentition is an incremental tooth.
One speaks here of the 6-year molar. This breaks through behind the milk molars and is a particularly important tooth for the permanent set of teeth. The 6-year-old molar is in the permanent dentition in the masticatory center. It is therefore particularly important that parents pay attention to and support the child's oral hygiene. This is followed by the lower and upper incisors, as the first replacement teeth.
At around 10 years of age, the so-called premolars replace the deciduous molars. The premolars are a new type of tooth that did not exist in deciduous dentition. The lower canine usually erupts before the upper one. At the age of twelve, the second molar of the permanent dentition breaks through after the sixth year. The last tooth of the permanent set of teeth, the wisdom tooth, has very individual breakthrough times and therefore an exact prognosis cannot be given. In some cases, the wisdom tooth never breaks through completely.
Number of teeth
It remains to be seen that the permanent set of teeth consists of eight teeth on each side and thus a total of 32 teeth:
- 2 Incisors
- 1 canine
- 2 Premolars
- 2 Molars
- 1 Wisdom tooth
Various disorders can occur during the change of teeth in the child.
It is possible that permanent teeth cannot be placed in the jaw (Hypodontic). The premolars are most commonly affected. If a premolar is not in place, the milk tooth located there is not displaced and remains in the dentition.
With good care, milk teeth can be preserved well into old age. The opposite of hypodontia is that Hyperdontia. In this case too many permanent teeth are created. This leads to the fact that the teeth erupt in a disordered and usually wrong way. In such a case, the surplus teeth have to be extracted and, in most cases, treatment by the Orthodontist occur.
The most common problem when the child changes teeth is that the teeth of the permanent set of teeth are incorrect, do not erupt or are misaligned.
This can have different causes. Most of the time the jaws are too small for the teeth of the second dentition. In such a case, after careful planning, teeth must be extracted to make room. Orthodontic treatment is definitely indicated here.
So it can be said that changing teeth is an important phase for the development of teeth in children. For this reason, you should visit the dentist regularly at this time to check the change of teeth. In the event of possible malfunctions, this ensures that they can be recognized as quickly as possible and treated as such. The dentist can also consult an orthodontist in such cases.
