When do children's baby teeth fall out?

Nature has provided for everything

Losing baby teeth is a natural and inevitable process that everyone goes through in childhood. Most often it begins at 5-6 years of age and passes painlessly. Sometimes the replacement of temporary teeth may begin earlier or, conversely, late. Some deviations from the usual indicators are not always considered a violation, since much depends on the health and physiological state of the child. When he begins to change his teeth, we recommend making an appointment with the dentist, as this is a very important period for the formation of your baby’s bite.

Is there a pattern for tooth loss?

It is believed that the first permanent tooth appears immediately after the baby tooth falls out. Actually this is not true.

“At the age of five or six years, children’s first molar teeth erupt,” comments a pediatric dentist at the “All Yours!” Dentistry. Victoria Arutyunova. - This is the sixth tooth, which is located behind all the milk teeth. And only after this the change from the milk bite to a permanent one begins.”

This happens in a certain order:

• the first stage at 6-7 years . The central incisors change, first on the lower jaw, then on the upper;
• second stage at 7-8 years . Time to change the second incisors, which will also fall out first at the bottom and then at the top;
• third stage at 8-9 years . There are fangs immediately behind the incisors, but they will not change now. At this stage, the “fours” located immediately behind the fangs should change;
• fourth stage at 9-10 years . Time to change canines, and then molars;
• fifth stage at 10-11 years . By this age, the child should have replaced molars. The process of tooth loss in children is completed.

“At the age of 10-11, the last milk teeth fall out, and the bite becomes permanent,” notes Victoria Arutyunova. - But the growth of molars does not end there. There are still “sevens” and “eights” left - the second painters, who erupt at 12-13 years of age. And also wisdom teeth or third molars, which grow after 18 years. But in general, we can say that by the age of 12, all the teeth in the child’s mouth will be permanent.”

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What you should pay attention to

The child’s body prepares in advance for the period of teeth change. Here are the main signs of the changes taking place:

• mobility and loosening of primary teeth
• redness and swelling of the gums
• the appearance of interdental spaces due to jaw growth
• the rudiments of a permanent tooth become visible

When a baby tooth is replaced with a permanent one, the root gradually dissolves. The process is helped by a new tooth pushing out the temporary one from below.

Usually children and their parents remove the loose tooth themselves. But we recommend contacting a specialist who will provide professional assistance.

What to do when your first baby tooth falls out?

During the period of changing teeth, the child’s oral cavity needs to be cared for especially carefully. In addition, you need to ensure that the baby’s diet is correct and balanced, because this is also very important for oral health. Here's what to do when your first baby tooth falls out:

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day, preferably every time after meals.
• Use rinses or herbal infusions after meals.
• Contact your dentist in a timely manner for examinations and monitoring of changes in bite.
• Treat caries and other oral diseases in a timely manner.
• If necessary, seal the fissures as a preventive measure.
• Make sure that the child’s menu contains as few harmful foods as possible - too hard, containing fast carbohydrates (all kinds of sweets, confectionery), carbonated drinks.
• Include more foods rich in calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D in your diet: beef liver, sea fish, eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, hard cheese, butter.
• Give the child more “correct” solid food to stimulate the resorption of the roots of baby teeth - apples, carrots and other solid vegetables and fruits.

In what order do teeth fall out?

The loss of baby teeth occurs in the same order in which they first erupted. First, the child loses the lower and upper incisors, then the lateral molars, and lastly the canines. The replacement of baby teeth with permanent teeth begins at the age of 5.5 years and ends at the age of 13. At the same time, instead of 20 dairy ones, 28 permanent ones grow. There is room for eight new chewing teeth due to the expansion of the jaws. By the way, wisdom teeth most often erupt in adulthood, and for some they do not grow at all.

Features of caring for a place with a fallen milk tooth

Immediately after the loss, a dimple appears in the place of the lost unit of the dentition, in which bleeding can be observed. In such a situation, you need to perform the following simple procedures:

• rinsing your mouth with an antiseptic,
• checking the formed hole for the presence of remains of the roots of a baby tooth,
• placing a sterile piece of gauze in the hole, which you then need to bite lightly.

The minimum time after which you can feed the baby is 1 hour. In this case, salty, spicy and sour foods should be eliminated from the diet.

In cases where the bleeding does not stop for 20 minutes or more, or there is residual bone tissue in the gum from a lost tooth, contacting a dentist is mandatory and immediate.

Baby teeth and preserving space in the dentition (video)
In addition, parents should take care of both the physical and psychological condition of the child. You can do this in several ways:

• organize a conversation in a loving family environment on the topic that changing teeth is a completely natural process, indicating growth and maturation, as a result of which there is absolutely nothing to worry about;
• play the role of the Tooth Fairy, inventing a unique ritual of exchanging a “lost pearl” (i.e. a lost tooth) for something pleasant: money, sweets or some other gift that the child will be very happy about;
• completely exclude (even if made out of bright impulses and boundless love) teasers from the category of “toothless”, “ugly”, etc.

Child psychologists advise following the above recommendations every time a child loses a primary canine, incisor or molar.

If the parents correctly followed all the recommendations, then as a reward they receive the most valuable thing: a child with good physical and psychological health.

What to do if a tooth does not fall out in time

According to statistics, in 20-30% of cases, children experience a “shark smile” when the permanent tooth has already erupted and is growing, but the milk tooth has not yet fallen out. Clinical studies have proven that in such a situation, parents should not hesitate to go to pediatric dentistry. The doctor will carefully examine your child's mouth and remove the temporary tooth. If you do not contact the dentist in a timely manner, double dentition can lead to improper formation of the bite, impaired diction and the functioning of the digestive system. In addition, with a “shark smile” it is difficult for a baby to bite and chew food, particles of which remain between the teeth and under the gum. As a result, inflammatory processes and caries occur. All this can be avoided by making an appointment with a specialist.

Do baby teeth need to be pulled out?

There may be several reasons for removing baby teeth. Among them is the one mentioned above, when the permanent incisor or canine needs to be given the opportunity to erupt correctly and take its place in the gum. Another reason is the long absence of a molar tooth in place of the fallen milk tooth, which is prevented from appearing on the surface by tightly seated “neighbors.”

These reasons require the supervision of a specialist - an orthodontist, since they usually talk about insufficient jaw width. There was enough space in the mouth for small baby teeth, but there was too little space for larger permanent teeth. You can decide on removal on your own only if the incisor or fang is actively loose, which causes discomfort for the child and bleeding gums. And the only way to get rid of the problem is to pull out a tooth that is no longer needed and does not perform its functions.

If a change in bite occurs with disturbances, you need to consult a doctor. In childhood, the problem is solved by orthodontic treatment: wearing mouth guards or orthodontic devices - special plates. These products help gradually enlarge the jaw to allow the molars to grow properly. Orthodontic treatment is long-term, but painless and effective. The only thing it requires is discipline from the parents and the child himself.

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Orthodontic treatment – ​​caring for the future

Some parents do not attach importance to the fact that the baby tooth has not yet fallen out, but the permanent one is already emerging. Or, on the contrary, the temporary one is lost early, and the tooth that replaces it does not grow. If you notice deviations, we recommend that you contact an orthodontist as soon as possible, who will provide effective treatment.

For example, with the premature loss of a baby tooth, the free space is very quickly taken up by neighboring teeth. There is not enough space for a permanent one. Therefore, it is very important when forming a temporary occlusion to fill such gaps, preventing the occurrence of an occlusion anomaly. To hold space for a permanent tooth, orthodontics uses a plate with artificial teeth. For single defects, a non-removable “ring-loop” design is most often used. The device does not cause discomfort, and the child wears it until the permanent tooth erupts.

The product manufacturing process is standard: impressions are taken, models are made, and the design is created in the laboratory within two weeks. Its fixation takes 15-20 minutes. After installing the device, you do not need to drink or eat for 2 hours. It is better to limit the consumption of “pulling” foods - toffees, chewing gum, etc.

What to do if a tooth does not grow after a baby tooth falls out?

Ideally, teeth change as follows. The molar located in the gum begins to move upward. This serves as a signal to the dairy that it is time to make room. Its roots begin to dissolve, and it itself becomes mobile. The baby may feel that the tooth has become loose, but it will not fall out quickly. It takes time for the roots to be reabsorbed; this takes several months. As the molar or molar grows, the roots of the predecessor become smaller and smaller. At some point, it falls out, and in the hole that remains in its place, the cap of the original “replacement” is already visible.

But it also happens that a molar tooth does not replace a lost baby tooth. And this is a reason to consult an orthodontist.

“Such problems can arise if there is not enough space in the child’s bite for the eruption of permanent teeth,” comments pediatric dentist Victoria Arutyunova. - Molars are larger in size than baby teeth. And if the freed up space is not enough for a permanent tooth to erupt, it may remain in the gum.”

The orthodontist will give you a referral for a panoramic photograph of the jaw. This is a completely painless procedure that will allow you to see the location of all molars in the gums. Based on the image taken, the doctor will offer options for solving the problem. Modern orthodontic techniques help eliminate malocclusion in children of all ages.

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Why don't baby teeth fall out?

There are several reasons for the delayed (late) loss of dentition units:

• hereditary predisposition,
• gender of the child (according to observations, boys are more predisposed to late shifts),
• past metabolic diseases, various serious infections, as well as rickets, phenylketonuria, and dysfunction of the endocrine system (all this has a significant negative impact on the mineral composition, and, consequently, the quality of tooth enamel),
• pathology during pregnancy, which affects the process of formation and quality characteristics of baby teeth;
• quality of food, water and air (including percentage of oxygen);
• the general state of the environment in the place of residence;
• climatic zone (for example, in cold Murmansk, precipitation may occur somewhat later than in the warmer city of Voronezh).

What are the consequences of delayed loss of primary teeth? The main danger is the high probability of developing a malocclusion. If the child is over 8 years old and there are still no signs of loss, a prompt visit to the pediatric dentistry is mandatory.