I was thrilled to see that my blog post yesterday on “how to brush your child’s teeth” stirred up a lot of interest and QUESTIONS!!! So, I am going to write again tonight to respond to the numerous requests for more information about when baby teeth come in and when they fall out.
As human’s we have 2 sets of teeth. Baby teeth (aka primary teeth) and Adult teeth (aka secondary teeth). Unlike a shark, who has multiple rows of teeth as well as the ability to regenerate a tooth when it is lost, that is all we get! So, it is important to take care of them.
At birth humans usually have 20 baby teeth, which start to come in (erupt) at about 6 months of age. They fall out (shed) at various times throughout childhood. They are replaced by 32 adult teeth, including the wisdom teeth. I am going to attach some charts provided by the American Dental Association that will give you the average ages when baby teeth come in and fall out, as well as when the adult teeth come in…and hopefully never fall out!!!
Sometimes there are exceptions to the rule when it comes to the number of teeth. Some people are born with extra teeth (called supernumerary teeth), and some people are born missing some teeth. For example two of the teeth that are commonly missing are the upper lateral incisors which are the teeth on either side of the upper two front ones (central incisors). This condition can be hereditary or it can happen randomly. Some dental experts believe that we are currently in the intermediate stage of an evolutionary change in the number of teeth that humans have and that future members of the human race will only have somewhere around 20 teeth instead of 32.
In any event, it is imperative that good oral hygiene be practiced beginning when the first baby tooth pokes out. As we live longer, we need our teeth longer for proper nutrition, and to keep us smiling. So, keep on brushing and flossing for a life time of good dental health!
