How Children’s Teeth Erupt and Fall Out

So you’ve just had a new baby and are enjoying all of the wonderful moments that come with having a child. Of course one of the ‘wonderful moments’ that lay not too far down the line is when they start teething. Teething is one of those processes that our parents warned us about, telling us about the pain and discomfort the poor child goes through, while the parents start understanding what sleep deprivation is really all about. Understanding a bit about this process can help prepare you both for the first stages of teething, and for that inevitable day when your children’s baby teeth fall out and their adult ones start to come in.

How Do My Children’s Teeth Erupt?

When a child reaches six months of age they typically will start going through the teething process, this is where the children’s first teeth start to erupt through their gums, also known as deciduous teeth. Typically the first teeth that come through are the incisors, located in the front and center of the jaw and employed in the cutting up of food. Through the following 2 and a half years, your child will have their new teeth steadily pushing their way up through the gums until they have their total of 20. Your children’s teeth are an important part of their jaws formation for their permanent teeth.

Where Do These Teeth Come From?

Baby teeth form from something known as ‘tooth buds’, and these same buds are the ones that will set their permanent teeth in motion. In most people, there are 32 teeth that form, but in some cases, third molars will develop, those painful growths we know as Wisdom Teeth that typically need to be removed due to the complications they cause.

How Their Teeth Loosen And Fall Out

It’s incredibly common for teeth to fall out in the order in which they came in, in part due to the fact that this is also how permanent teeth tend to form. Teeth become loose when the adult teeth start forming beneath it and begin pushing against the existing teeth. You’ll usually know this is happening when your kids come to you excitingly talking about their teeth being loose. It’s almost instinctual to run their tongue over the loose tooth and otherwise play with it, and this is likely an adaptation that helps it slowly come out. If you can rotate the tooth,
that means its ready to come out, but it’s important to let the process happen naturally. A tooth will fall out when the root beneath it has completely died off, if you pull it out early it can break the root and cause infection.

If you have any questions about the progress of your children’s teeth and what will happen throughout their early years as the teeth develop, fall out, and are replaced, contact your dentist. Specialists like Dr. April J. Toyer at Lifetime Dental Care in Woodbridge, VA have
been helping families through these times and setting them on the path to a future with great teeth!