Introduction
With almost all mammals, to which also the human being belongs, the mouth is toothless in the birth at first. Nature has probably arranged this in such a way to avoid pain during suckling. Gradually, the first teeth appear and form the milk teeth in children.
The first dentition, the milk teeth, consists of 20 teeth, 5 in each quadrant. In each quadrant there are 2 incisors, 1 canine and 2 milk molars. The lower milk molars have 2 roots and the upper 3 roots.
At birth, the teeth are already in the jawbone, but they only gradually break through the oral mucosa. In general, dentition begins at 6 months. The central lower incisors appear first.
Then follow the upper 4 incisors, then the two lower lateral incisors, the first molars, the canines and finally the second molars. However, there are also considerable individual temporal differences. So teeth can already be present at birth or the period of dentition can be delayed until the 3rd year of life.
These deviations should not cause any concerns. If all teeth are broken through, a normal occlusion is also established. The breaking of the teeth through the mucous membrane can be painful for many children.
On the other hand, there are medicines that are applied to the mucous membrane to relieve the pain. Even if the teeth are all in the oral cavity, their root growth is not yet complete. This happens only gradually.
Milk teeth are much smaller than permanent teeth and are particularly susceptible to caries, which also progresses faster than permanent teeth because of the thin layer of enamel. Therefore, the dentist should be consulted as early as possible in order to carry out treatment at an early stage. If milk teeth have fallen out prematurely due to carious destruction, the gap should be kept open with a gap holder to make room for the permanent teeth.
At the age of 6 years the mixed dentition, i.e. the actual change of teeth, begins. The first to appear are the first large molars behind the last milk tooth. They are therefore also called 6-year molars.
Since no milk teeth fall out for this, they are often not perceived as permanent teeth. At 7 years of age, the milk teeth start to wobble and finally fall out at the end of the tooth change. Due to the dissolution of the roots, in the end only the crowns of the teeth remain, which either fall out on their own or can be easily removed.
Before this, gaps have formed between the teeth as a result of jaw growth. This is necessary to make room for the permanent teeth. If milk teeth remain for too long, they must be removed so that the permanent teeth have enough space and positional anomalies are avoided.
Between the age of 7 to 9 years the milk incisors are replaced by the permanent teeth. Canines and small molars appear between 10 and 13 years of age. The second large molar is the last to break through.
The milk teeth are completely replaced by the permanent teeth and the period of mixed dentition is over. The wisdom teeth take a special position. They can still break through until the age of thirty and represent the end of the change of teeth.
However, there are exceptions, because in some people they are not put on at all or they remain in the bone because there is no space left in the denture. The second dentition, the complete permanent dentition including the wisdom teeth, consists of 32 teeth. They are also divided into 4 quadrants.
In each of these quadrants there is one: The lower large molars have 2 roots, the upper 3 roots. All other teeth have 1 root. After breaking through the gums, the crown is already fully formed, but the roots are still developing.
The root canal is still wide and wide open towards the tip of the root. Only gradually do the roots develop fully. The correct position of the tooth row can be disturbed by milk teeth that do not fall out in time or milk teeth that are lost too early. In these cases the permanent teeth find their place or the gap is too narrow and they break through behind the row of teeth and have to be brought back into the correct position by orthodontic measures.
- 2incisors (Incisivi)
- 1Canine tooth (Caninus)
- 2 small molars (premolars) and
- 3big molars (molars).
