Children have 20 milk or primary teeth. These start to appear at any time between 6 months to 1 year. They may continue to erupt until the child is 3 to 3 ½ years of age. Some children may get their baby teeth before or after this age range. Early teething poses the challenge of maintaining oral hygiene despite the child’s young age. Other than this, age is generally of no significance.

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 there after, the child will lose roughly two to four milk teeth. The milk molars shed between 10 and 13 years.

The primary teeth are the main functional teeth for a young child and the milk molars shed only when the child is 12 to 14 years old. The health of the milk teeth has a direct effect on:
• Your child’s ability to chew food adequately
• Growth and development of the jaws
• Guiding the permanent teeth when they are ready to erupt.
• An aesthetic smile
Timely treatment ensures that milk teeth serve their purpose of function and aesthetics until they shed. Postponement of treatment increases the severity of disease and causes recurrent episodes of pain, tooth infection, difficulty in chewing, poor nutrition etc. Decayed and unsightly front teeth may lead to a self-conscious child. Delay in seeking treatment also increases and complicates the nature of treatment required eventually take a toll on the child’s general health.

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 plaything 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.

You can try relieving your baby’s distress by:
• Gently massaging gums with a clean finger
• Giving the baby a cold teething ring to chew on
• Chilled apple, cucumber or carrot sticks
• Homoeopathic medication

In the course of your dental visit, we will demonstrate the right brushing technique appropriate for your child’s age.
• You must introduce a baby brush when the first tooth erupts or by one year. A pea-sized amount of non-fluoridated toothpaste can be used.  • By two years a pediatric fluoride toothpaste (500 ppm) can be started * • Switch over to a fluoridated toothpaste containing 1000 ppm of fluoride once the child learns to spit, gargle and accepts the taste *

* Disclaimer: The municipal water supply in India is not fluoridated. This holds true in most parts of the country. These recommendations hold good when non-fluoridated water is consumed.