Introduction
Teething is the term used to describe the breaking through of a person’s first set of teeth. The first teeth when teething are called milk teeth (dens deciduus or dens lactatis) and are replaced by the permanent teeth later in life. The term “milk teeth” can be traced back to the coloring of the teeth, because they have a white, slightly bluish shimmering color, which is very similar to that of milk.
In contrast to permanent teeth, the milk teeth that break through when a baby teeths have only 20 teeth. But actually it is not so much the number of teeth, but rather their width and root length, that makes a clear difference between permanent and milk teeth. Just like permanent dentition, a baby’s dentition can be divided into four quadrants, two per jaw. Each of these quadrants contains five milk teeth.
Sequence and duration of baby’s teeth
The development of the teeth does not begin with the breakthrough, but takes place much earlier, during pregnancy. On average in the 6th embryonic week the odontogenic epithelium is formed, which later becomes the dental ridge. This passes through several stages and becomes the dental ridge.
The individual structures, such as dentin, enamel or cement, begin to develop at this dental bell. Until the baby is born, the tooth germs remain in the jaw. A baby usually starts teething between the 6th and 8th month of life, but this cannot be considered a fixed time, because the first milk tooth can erupt much earlier or later in every baby individually.
In boys, the eruption of the tooth often begins a little later and for this reason it is finished much later. Usually the eruption of the milk teeth is completed at the age of 30 months. The formation of the roots is not completed until about two years after all teeth have erupted.
However, the duration of the tooth eruption is individual for each baby. It can take more or less time on average. Furthermore, the time a tooth takes from eruption to its final height can vary greatly.
It can be months. In many cases, the first teeth need more time than the following ones. During the process of teething, the child may be given teething rings or various harder foods (apple, bread, or carrot pieces) to shorten the time.
It is also very important to take good care of the coming teeth to prevent any inflammation. The breakthrough times of individual teeth can vary greatly from child to child, but there is a certain order and an average breakthrough time. Usually the lower teeth break through before the respective upper opposing teeth.
The first tooth to break through is usually the central lower incisor, followed by the central upper incisor. On average this happens between the 6th and 8th month. This is followed by the lateral incisors.
This usually happens between the 8th and 12th month. Between the 12th and 16th month the first cheek tooth comes. Between the 16th and 20th month, the canine is pushed between the lateral incisor and the first molar.
The last tooth is the second molar. It breaks through in the 20th – 30th month of life. In most cases, teething is completely finished by the 30th month of life, and by the 3rd year of life the milk teeth are completely toothed.
In this context, “toothing” means that all crowns are in contact with the respective opposite tooth (antagonist). However, complete dentition of the upper and lower jaws does not mean that the milk teeth stop growing from this point on. In fact, the roots of the individual teeth are not fully mature even after the age of 3 years.
Even after the last milk tooth has broken through, the roots of the teeth continue to grow in length. As soon as the first milk tooth has erupted, brushing should be started in order to ensure a long and healthy tooth life, as milk teeth are an important placeholder for the following permanent teeth. In the worst case, milk teeth that are lost too early can cause the permanent teeth to break through in the wrong place or to migrate or tilt.
Orthodontic measures may therefore become necessary. At the age of about 6 years the breakthrough of the permanent teeth begins with the breakthrough of the first milk molar at the end of the row of teeth.Through it the first physiological bite elevation takes place. It is not uncommon for a baby to be born already partially dentate, in these cases it is a matter of so-called “dens connati” or “witch teeth”, which can cause irritation and inflammation of the nipples during breastfeeding.
The different types of milk teeth have an individual number of roots, accordingly, the milk incisors and canines each have one root, the milk molars in the lower jaw have two and the milk molars in the upper jaw even three roots. This is a common feature between the adult and baby dentition, as the permanent teeth also have a different number of roots. In the course of the change of teeth, the milk tooth roots dissolve, for this reason the fallen out milk teeth usually do not have any roots anymore.
In contrast to the permanent tooth, a baby’s erupting tooth is very soft. This is due to the fact that the enamel of a milk tooth is not yet fully mature. Therefore, milk teeth are much more susceptible to caries and must be cared for more carefully.
During the first year of life, it is sufficient to brush the milk teeth only once a day, but the frequency of care should increase with the number of teeth. Dentists recommend brushing your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste for children. The fluoride content is lower than that of normal toothpastes and therefore does not harm the child even if swallowed.
