Get to know your baby’s milk teeth well

Milk Teeth (Baby Teeth) 

It begins to form in babies while they are still in the embryo stage. It is the first set of teeth seen in infancy and childhood. When babies are born, 20 milk teeth are ready to emerge. According to the FDI classification, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 in the upper right jaw; 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 in the upper left jaw; 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 in the lower left jaw; teeth numbered 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 in the lower left jaw.

When do milk teeth come out? 

Although milk teeth vary from child to child, they usually begin to erupt in the 6th month between 3-12 months. The eruption time of the teeth usually fits the hereditary order and parents can get an idea by comparing it with their own infancy. Milk teeth can continue to erupt until 2-3 years old. Usually around the age of 6, it starts to leave its place to permanent teeth. In a normal child, the milk tooth begins to fall out at the age of 7 years. Then permanent teeth appear.



Table: Time to erupt and fall of milk teeth

What are the symptoms when milk teeth erupt? 

During the eruption of milk teeth, children may experience restlessness, redness of the gums, itching, sometimes fever and pain. The child tries to bite everything. He drools, he is angry. Cries frequently, wakes up at night, and may sometimes refuse to be fed.

Dentist control is important during this period. It will be beneficial to have regular dental check-ups during this period so that your child can remove their teeth more easily and have healthier teeth in the future. Your dentist will apply gel to your child’s teeth, give you pain relievers and give you some advice. A dental check-up is recommended every 6 months after the milk teeth erupt. Gaining the habit of brushing your child’s teeth at the stage of eruption of milk teeth will greatly affect your child’s oral hygiene in the next life.

Why are milk teeth important? 

Milk teeth prepare the ground for permanent teeth coming from below. In children, chewing is necessary in terms of nutrition, speech and aesthetics. Therefore, it needs care and control as much as permanent teeth. Problems such as late eruption, late falling out, early falling out of milk teeth also create problems in permanent teeth coming from below. Problems such as deformity, position change, and impaction may occur in permanent teeth. For this reason, it is necessary to treat milk teeth early in cases of caries, etc., regular dental check-ups and brushing habits to the child.

How can I detect milk tooth decay? 

In the presence of caries in milk teeth, brown spots occur on the teeth. For this reason, it is important for the family to monitor the child’s teeth regularly at home and to have dental check-ups in the early diagnosis and treatment of dental caries. Important symptoms of dental caries are swelling in the jaw, toothache.

Does baby bottle use affect milk teeth? 

With the use of baby bottles, children’s teeth are exposed to sugary foods for a long time. Especially in the front teeth, cavities occur due to long-term use of feeding bottles. These bruises are called bottle cavities. Using the pacifier for a long time by dipping it into foods containing honey and sugar has a similar effect.

On the other hand, the use of false pacifiers over the age of 3 also negatively affects the dental health of the child. Permanent disorders in the teeth, narrowness in the upper jaw, openings in the front teeth can occur.

It is important to minimize the use of baby bottles and avoid sugar-containing foods in terms of both general health and dental health of your child.

Does breast milk contribute to the development of milk teeth? 

The use of breast milk for the first six months positively affects both general health and oral and dental health in children. Due to the antibacterial content of breast milk, it prevents bacteria from adhering to the teeth. On the other hand, the decrease in the use of feeding bottles due to breast milk will also prevent dental caries.

What to do when there is caries in milk teeth? 

It is necessary to consult a dentist in the presence or suspicion of caries in milk teeth. The dentist (preferably a pedodontist) will determine what kind of problem is in your child’s milk teeth with examination and x-ray findings.

In the presence of a problem in milk teeth, the treatment is the same as in adults. Procedures such as filling and root canal treatment are applied. If necessary, milk teeth are removed.

How are milk teeth extracted? 

It is important for children to go to the dentist regularly to get used to the dentist and not to experience fear. The fear of the dentist experienced during this period can sometimes come to the fore even in adulthood.

Milk teeth that cannot be saved by other treatment methods are extracted. For this, the child is anesthetized. Then the tooth is removed. Bleeding is monitored. It is important not to eat or drink anything after the procedure.

Children who have not been able to overcome their fear of dentist recently may need to be operated under general anesthesia. However, this can sometimes lead to undesirable results.

What happens if a baby tooth does not come back after it is removed? 

Some orthodontic problems may occur in cases where the milk teeth fall out or have to be pulled out, but the teeth do not replace them. In order not to experience orthodontic problems, the empty tooth places should be filled with placeholders to avoid orthodontic problems.

What can I do for my teething baby? 

Teething is a natural occurrence for every child. Not removing teeth is dangerous. Teething in every child occurs with different symptoms. The effectiveness of the applied methods may also vary from child to child.

The methods that families can often apply at home during the teething period are:

• Cleaning the mouth area: During the teething period, there may be a lot of increase in mouth saliva in the first place, and redness may occur around the mouth or chin of the baby. In such cases, you can wipe your baby’s face with a clean and soft cloth, and relax the dry area with a natural and moisturizing cream.
• Breastfeeding: Since your baby loses too much fluid with saliva during the teething period, the lost fluid should be compensated by breastfeeding abundantly.
• Play games: Pain during teething can make your baby very uncomfortable. In addition to other treatments, you can make your baby forget the pain with games and toys that he likes or will love during this period.
• Teething rings: It is used to relieve the tingling and itching of the gums during the teething period. It is safe. It reduces discomfort and relieves pain. It can help soothe your baby’s gums by cooling the teething rings. Your dentist will inform you about how long the cooling process will take. Too cold tooth rings will harm your baby. Do not hang the teething ring around your baby’s neck for easy access. There may be a choking hazard.
• Tooth gels: Your dentist may recommend tooth gel to reduce pain and itching during your baby’s teething period.
• Painkillers: The teething period can sometimes be accompanied by pain and fever. In this case, your dentist will prescribe an appropriate pain reliever and antipyretic to relieve your baby.