How Many Baby Teeth are There & When Does it Fall?

Kids at a particular age start losing their baby teeth which ultimately is the sign of them becoming a big kid. With the fall of the baby teeth, kids grow up with their permanent teeth. Now, in this article we will talk about the baby teeth and know how many baby teeth are there and also know about the time when baby teeth fall. Go through the article for a better knowing on baby teeth.

There are 20 baby teeth which gradually fall at a particular age and then erupts the permanent teeth in every child. All of these baby teeth usually come by the age of 3 years in most kids. These 20 baby teeth include the upper central incisor, upper lateral incisor, upper canine, upper first molar teeth, upper second molar teeth and the lower central incisor, lower lateral incisor, lower canine, lower first molar teeth and lower second molar teeth. It is known that these baby teeth fall out in the order in which they came in. We will talk about when they fall in our next section of the article.

Falling of the baby teeth means, “your kid is growing big!” Here in this section we will know about the fall of baby teeth, know when they fall and some other facts about the same.

• As mentioned earlier that the baby teeth gradually fall in every child and there grows the permanent teeth replacing them.
• Usually most kids start losing their baby teeth around their age of 5 years to 6 years.
• Usually the first to fall are the lower central pair of incisor that is followed by the upper central pair of incisors. Then the next to fall are the lateral incisors.
• By the age of 9 years to 12 years, children start losing their lateral incisors, canine and molar teeth.
• Usually the permanent teeth erupts by the age of 13 years in most children.
• It must be mentioned that some kids lose their first baby tooth even at an earlier age of 4 years or at a later age of 7 years. One thing must be taken care of; and that is in case your child loses his or her first baby teeth before the age of 4 years; you must consult with a pedodontist so as to find out the underlying cause of it.
• It must be noted that a baby tooth loosens up only when the permanent tooth below it pushes it up so as to take its place. However, it is also possible that in some children a baby tooth may be lost too early, before the permanent tooth is ready to grow up; and this may be due to any dental disease or any accident.
• It takes some time for the baby teeth to fall from the time they loosen up. Baby teeth fall naturally on their own.

There are children who do not lose their baby teeth even during their age of 7 years. They are known as late losers. It must be noted that in most cases this is not a problem, however you must consult with a dentist for your child in case he or she has not started losing his or her baby teeth by 7 years of age. Most probably your dentist will do an X-ray to know if all the teeth are under the gum.

In case of late losers, as the baby teeth fall in a later age the permanent teeth also grows in delay. However there is an advantage of getting permanent teeth late; and that is the teeth are harder and are more resistant to cavities.

Usually kids with Down syndrome have delay in losing their baby teeth. One more thing to be mentioned is that boys usually lose their baby teeth in a later age as compared to girls.

Let us know about the signs and symptoms experienced by a kid while falling of the baby teeth.

• Appearance of Shark’s teeth. Usually when baby teeth fall, the permanent teeth lie underneath the gums and wait for erupting. However, in some kids the permanent comes up even before the baby teeth have fallen down. In such cases there are two rows of teeth and known as the shark’s teeth in the kids. This may not be a problem as the new teeth or the permanent teeth in their process of growth generally will push the baby teeth to fall off. You must consult with your dentist in case your kid meets with any serious issues because of this.
• Teething pain. It must be mentioned that the process of losing teeth is usually painless. However, in case the edge of a baby tooth cuts in to the gums of your child there may be teething pain and your doctor may encourage your child to wiggle it more vigorously.
• Swollen gums. In some case where the baby teeth are getting loose and falling out, and in case the permanent teeth is coming up; the gums may look swollen and may also get pain in the children.
• Difficulty chewing. Your kid may not be able to chew or properly eat their meal in case there is pain due to loosen baby teeth or fallen out baby teeth. In such case, they must be nurtured with vegetable soup or other healthy liquid diets.

You must be wondering about how to care and manage the symptoms while falling of the baby teeth in your child. Here below we will discuss about the care management while falling of baby teeth.

1. Medications to keep along while your kid loses his/her baby teeth:

   Though it may not be paining the kid while the baby teeth fall in some children; there are cases when kids feel the pain; especially the teething pain. In such case kids may complain about the pain and may have difficulty chewing their food. Here, you may use a topical painkiller like Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen which can ease the pain. It is recommended to consult your child dentist in case of severe pain while baby teeth fall.

2. Special dental care during the fall of baby teeth:

   Dental care is always important for everyone and at every age. It becomes a high priority in case your child is losing his or her baby teeth or growing up with the permanent teeth. Some of the special dental care tips during the fall of baby teeth are mentioned below.

   • Make sure your kid is brushing his or her teeth twice a day in a proper way. You must supervise your children while brushing and assist them in proper brushing.
   • Assist your child to floss his teeth regularly.
   • It is essential for you to replace your child’s tooth brush in every 2 months so as to reduce the harmful bacteria. Make a check that your child is using a toothbrush that is in a good condition.
   • Have a regular dental check up of your child while he or she is losing the baby teeth.
   • Ask for fluoride treatments to your child’s dentist so as to prevent tooth decay.

3. Essential diet and eating habits while baby teeth falls in your child:

   It may happen that children may avoid taking their diet because of pain or swollen gums while fall of baby teeth. However, you must keep it noted that a healthy diet is very much essential for your kid. So, serve them with some healthy liquid diet like vegetable soup, fruit juices in days of their severe teeth or gum pain while baby teeth fall or during the teething pain.

   Apart from this, it must also be kept in mind that you are limiting the between-meal snacks in your child while baby teeth fall.

4. Special tip to remove the loose baby teeth:

   After all these care management teeth in children losing their baby teeth; there is one thing to be mentioned here.

   Some children feel excited while losing their baby teeth, while some of them get nervous during this time. You must keep them encouraged and motivated. In case your kid wants you to pull out an loose baby tooth, then grasp it firmly with the help of a tissue or with a piece of gauze and remove it with a quick twist. However, make sure that in case the loose tooth is resistant then wait for some days and try to remove it after some days.

Losing baby teeth is obviously a milestone in childhood. Appropriate care and management in essential while the baby teeth falls. It is essential for you to take your child for a dentist visit in case you find any alarming symptoms while the fall of baby teeth or while growth of the permanent teeth.

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