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Did you know that we are all born with 20 baby teeth hidden in our gums? As we grow, our teeth change and develop – A LOT.
As a family dentist, we see teeth at all stages of life from toddler through to adulthood. Each stage requires a different level of care and specific challenges we need to be aware of.
For parents, it’s important to understand what it takes to look after your child’s teeth at each point in their growth. To help you identify what to look out for, here is a run down of the different stages of development for your teeth.
It’s something we get asked about almost every day at Dentist Mandy. It might surprise you to hear that starting a good dental health routine for your baby begins as soon as they’re born. Dental paediatricians concur that wiping baby’s gums after feeding is one of the first steps in a lifelong routine of dental hygiene. You can use your finger, a damp cloth or silicone brush – whichever works best for your baby.
From there, it’s a waiting game to see when the first tooth will come through. The chart above gives you a bit of an indication about which teeth you can expect and when! Generally speaking though, teething occurs from 6 months through to about 31 months.
Once the first tooth is through, it’s a great idea to start brushing gently. We recommend you use a very soft bristle brush to get baby used to the sensation. Using a fluoride based toothpaste can begin right away, but only use a rice grain size drop.
The answer might surprise you. In an ideal world, once your baby’s first tooth has appeared or when they turn 1 year old. However, in our experience, not many 1 year-olds can sit on our dental chair for a proper examination! Therefore, we do often state that if you exercise proper oral and dental care for your child, you could come and visit us when they are about 3 or 4.
Whilst some people question the need to visit a dentist during the baby teeth phase, it’s important to understand that not looking after your first set of teeth can be a big mistake! Decayed baby teeth can interfere with good nutrition and speech development. If not maintained, your baby teeth can fall out, without holding a proper place for future teeth. This leads to permanent teeth coming in which are not straight – opening the possibility for orthodontic work in teenage years.
Not many people know that getting adult teeth isn’t necessarily guaranteed. Some people only ever get one set of teeth!
Once your child has a full set of teeth, brushing at least twice daily and flossing are two very big parts of their healthy dental routine.
Here are our top tips for caring for your child’s smile:
Brush for two minutes twice a day
Don’t rinse immediately – use a pea sized amount of toothpaste and spit out the excess after brushing. Wait a beat and then rinse.
Replace toothbrushes regularly
Limit sugar intake to no more than 3 teaspoons daily
Show your children how to floss from an early age
Just as it is with us adults, it’s best to make regular scheduled visits to us here at Dentist Mandy. This means 6 monthly appointments to make sure that your oral health is of a great standard. We know through our experience with children’s dental care that prevention is better than cure, so it’s best to keep up regular appointments for your child.
Anywhere from the age of 6, your child can start to get their “adult” teeth, starting with bottom front incisors and first permanent molars! This teeth process usually happens by stages and completes by the age of 12. Just like baby teething, some children may experience discomfort or even pain. As the teething process develops, we recommend your child comes to see us regularly. We’ll take a look for molars that may have deep grooves or valleys to prevent any issues with their dental development.
By the time your child is 13, chances are, they’ll have 28 permanent adult teeth. For some, however, they will also get up to four more teeth called the third molars, or “wisdom teeth”. This generally happens between the ages of 17 and 21.
For teenagers who are getting wisdom teeth through – here are 3 things you’ll want to know:
Make sure you keep check of flu like symptoms
Impacted wisdom teeth can cause fevers and symptoms like the flu. If your teenager is experiencing this and pain, it’s important to book in a dental visit with us straight away.
Look out for infection
Wisdom teeth can become infected. Make sure that your teenager is maintaining a good healthy dental routine.
We may recommend wisdom tooth extraction for teens who experience the following:
At Dentist Mandy, we love helping children to understand the importance of good dental care and to make their dentist experience as much fun and as comfortable as possible. If you’d like to chat with us about any specific requirements your child may have before their appointment, we’re always happy to hear from you to see if we can assist!
In the meantime, encourage your children to talk about their teeth and to practice healthy dental habits which will last a lifetime!
