Humans have 2 sets of teeth,Primary Teeth or Milk Teeth and Permanent teeth.Primary Teeth are very important as they hold space for the Permanent Teeth. They are also essential for chewing / biting and speech development, besides giving shape to your child’s face. Primary Teeth are totally twenty in number. The first tooth will erupt in the oral cavity at about 6 months and the complete set of Primary Teeth will be seen by around 3 years of age.

The primary tooth will start falling off from the age of 6. Once the primary tooth start falling,the permanent tooth starts erupting.In other words,the permanent tooth pushes the primary tooth and that is why the primary tooth fall.By the age of 12 all of the primary tooth should have shed and only permanent teeth should be in the oral cavity.While there are chances that some kids still have some of the primary tooth left in the oral cavity along with the permanent tooth.In those conditions,it is advised to take a consultation from your dentist to know whether the cause is natural or any other factors.The age between 6 and 12 for your child is the period of mixed dentition,when primary teeth and permanent teeth co exist.

Function of Primary Teeth

  • Helps your child to learn biting & chewing 
  • Helps to chew food properly
  • Assists in proper speech 
  • Builds self-esteem by providing a beautiful smile
  • Serves as a path for Permanent Teeth to erupt in a correction position

Importance of Milk Tooth

When a Milk tooth or Primary Tooth is not taken care of, it can cause Dental Caries and infections. Many children below 3 years of age suffer from Early Childhood Caries or Rampant Caries. It may be due to frequent consumption of sugary substances, lack of oral hygiene routines, a prolonged feeding habit, or low salivary flow.One of the main reason of Early Childhood Caries is feeding milk in the night,some babies sleep while drinking milk and parents fail to clean the tooth when the baby is asleep

If Dental Caries of the Milk Tooth or Primary Tooth is not treated, it leads to early loss of the tooth. If a Milk Tooth or Primary Tooth is lost too early before its due time, the following or adjacent Permanent Teeth can’t be guided to its natural position and will erupt in a different location other than its original-natural position, causing difficulty for the eruption of the underlying Permanent tooth. This may lead to developmental malocclusion in a child. In case the milk teeth or primary tooth is lost due to some other reason your dentist will help you with a space maintainer to maintain the space for the permanent teeth to erupt.

Causes of Unnatural Tooth Eruption

The causes for the disturbances in Tooth Eruption could be

  • Traumatic injuries
  • Unhealthy oral habits
  • Gene Mutation

Common habits that cause Malocclusion in children 

  • Thumb-sucking that goes on beyond 4 years of age
  • Tongue thrusting
  • Lip biting 
  • Mouth breathing
  • Cheek biting

Bad oral habits can be controlled using a Habit Breaking Appliance. Early diagnosis will help correct these habits and consequent malocclusion.

How to care for Milk Teeth? 

Good oral habits must be developed in children at a young age. 

Parents must educate their children to maintain good oral hygiene

Parents should help kids brush their teeth twice a day. 

Kids should be taught to rinse their mouth after eating.

Parents should have a cutoff time after which Sweet and sticky foods be avoided.

E.g If the cut off time is 5pm,No chocolates or sweets or any sticky foods be given after 5pm

Tips for Parents 

  • Clean the infant’s gums with a wet cloth after the baby drinks milk
  • After tooth eruption, clean the child’s teeth with a wet cloth and switch to soft toothbrush for kids 
  • Start using toothpaste after tooth eruption (approximately 18 to 24 months of age), usually a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste is recommended
  • Brush with your child everyday,so that they learn to brush better.
  • Till your child can brush the teeth on his own,encourage 
  • After 6 years of age, a child may be allowed to clean the teeth by himself

Conclusion

Milk Teeth are very important milestone in decideing the oral health and alignment of your child’s Permanent Teeth.

Don’t wait until the child complains of pain in teeth because the cavity has progressed far when child complains of pain

Schedule a bi-annual consultation with your dentist so that any issues can be solved with preventive measures.

For Consultation visit

Dr.Kamini
Ramchandras Jussmile Dental Clinic & Dental Implant Centre
1333/A,B1,Royal Castle Apartments,
 7th Cross Street, Poompuhar Nagar,
 Kolathur Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600099 
or Call +91 9884336617 / 044 42802255
Email - info@jussmile.com