323 Caradoc Street South Unit #C – 5B, Strathroy, ON, N7G 2P3 | 519-245-0005

A Message from Strathroy Family Dental: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Permanent Teeth

Family Dentist Strathroy

Dear Parents in Strathroy!

Nothing is cuter than a child missing their two front teeth! However, after this phase is over, parents should look forward to their children developing their permanent, adult teeth. Permanent teeth will need to last your child their entire lives, so it’s important that they take good care of them, just as they did with their baby teeth. Here is what you should know about your child’s new permanent teeth.

Baby teeth will start to come in at 6 months old and they keep on developing until they are 2 or 3. Eventually, the baby teeth begin to fall out and are replaced by permanent, adult teeth. This begins around age five and continues into adulthood when their wisdom teeth start to develop. Most people are born with a set of 20 primary teeth, which are eventually replaced by 32 adult teeth. 

Baby teeth help kids chew their food and they also act as placeholders to help hold space in the jaw for their bigger permanent teeth to come in. We have 10 baby teeth on the top and 10 on the bottom. Then, when our adult teeth come in, there are 16 on the top and 16 bottoms. 

Permanent teeth usually erupt in the same order that primary teeth do. The front teeth then start to come in going to the back of the mouth and eventually the molars. Usually, the first tooth to erupt is the first to come loose and fall out, and be replaced by a permanent tooth. An exception to this is if there is tooth damage or poor dental hygiene, or there are medical conditions or trauma, like an accident, to the mouth, jaw, or face area. 

Many children will begin to lose teeth around the age they start to go to school, at about 5 or 6, and they will have most of their permanent teeth come in by age 12 or 13. These include the four front teeth on the top and the bottom. These are known as central incisors. They will also have four lateral incisors, which are the teeth between the front teeth and the canines. They will have four canine teeth and then eight molars. Two of these molars will come in without replacing baby teeth. 

The last teeth to arrive, if they ever do arrive, are the wisdom teeth. These are also known as third molars and they might never erupt through the gum line. However, if they do, then this usually takes place around the age of 17 to 21. Your dentist will help you by giving you their recommendations about how to clean them properly or whether they should be removed, or not. 

As permanent teeth start to arrive, keeping up with good dental care is important to set a healthy foundation for these permanent teeth and to ensure a beautiful smile for the lifetime ahead.

As a Family Dentist in Strathroy, our job is to help children and parents understand their own roles in their oral health care journey. Of course, we are always here to provide routine dental care and any treatment that may be needed along the way. Strathroy Family Dental prides itself on being able to provide comprehensive dental treatment for patients of all ages, including children during their transition from primary to permanent teeth! 

If you’d like to schedule an appointment for routine dental care, wisdom teeth consultations, or any other specific issues, please call the office at 519-245-0005 or visit our website to request an appointment. 

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