Milk teeth

A baby’s gummy smile is adorable! Equally adorable is the sight of that first pearly white appearing in their mouth. Before you know it, your baby will have a full set of milk teeth. However, milk teeth are often neglected by parents who think that they are not ‘permanent’ and will ‘fall off anyway’. So, here are some facts about milk teeth which will hopefully increase awareness among the parents of young children:

 FACT 1

Children have 20 milk teeth. These start to appear any time between the age of 6 months to a year. They continue to erupt until the child is around 3 to 4 years of age.

FACT 2

Milk teeth shed (fall) when the permanent teeth below them are ready to erupt. Only the lower two front teeth fall at approximately 6yrs of age. Every year thereafter, the child will lose roughly two to four milk teeth. The milk molars shed between 10 and 13 years.

FACT 3

The first dental visit should coincide with the eruption of the first milk tooth or latest by the child’s first birthday. You can then be counselled on appropriate oral hygiene measures and infant feeding habits. This can go a long way in preventing severe early childhood caries.

FACT 4

Babies often experience sore gums, increased drooling, loss of appetite and disturbed sleep when they cut their milk teeth. They may become cranky and want to chew on a toy or their fingers to get relief. Chewing on unclean objects/ fingers may lead to diarrhoea, fever. This is not caused by teething and you must contact your paediatrician if the child is unwell.

FACT 5

The sooner you start cleaning your baby’s teeth, the better! From birth until one year of age, wipe the gum pads and teeth with a clean damp cloth. Introduce a soft baby brush by one year.

FACT 6

Paediatric fluoride toothpaste (500 ppm) could be started by two years. Switch over to fluoridated toothpaste containing 1000 ppm of fluoride once your child learns to spit and gargle, and accepts the taste. These recommendations hold good when non-fluoridated water is consumed. Most parts of the country do not have natural fluoride in the drinking water. The municipal water supply in India is also not fluoridated. If you live anywhere in the areas which have fluoride in the drinking water, introduce a fluoride toothpaste at 6 years of age.

FACT 7

When the baby falls asleep whilst feeding, the last mouthful of milk (breast & bottle) is not swallowed. This milk pools around the teeth and causes decay. The upper front teeth and molars are the ones to be affected the most.

FACT 8

A twice-a-year check-up is recommended for most children. Regular dental visits help your child stay cavity free. Some children need more frequent dental visits because of increased risk of tooth decay, unusual growth patterns or poor oral hygiene.