Primary Teeth
Primary teeth are also known as “deciduous teeth” or “baby teeth.” They help your child chew food. They also hold space in the jaws for permanent (adult) teeth that come in as your child matures.
Baby teeth usually start erupting as early as 6 months old – typically the front four teeth (two upper and 2 lower) come in first. By age 3, most children have a full set of 20 baby teeth, which will later be lost as your child grows. However, if a tooth is lost too early – due to decay or trauma – it may cause issues like crowding when adult teeth erupt.
Adult teeth begin erupting around age 6. By the time children are about 12 or 13 years old, they usually have all of their adult teeth.
It is important to prevent cavities in baby teeth!
Baby teeth are necessary for eating, talking, and holding space for adult teeth. Therefore, it is important to keep them clean to prevent cavities from forming. You can do this by making sure they do not have too much sugar in their diet and by brushing and flossing their teeth.
Sugar is in almost everything you drink, except water, and foods that you eat. Sugar left over from foods and drinks can turn into an acid which can cause cavities.
What you can do to prevent decay:
- Don’t give your child fruit juice until after they turn 1 year old.
- Don’t let your child drink sugary drinks all day – limit juice and other sugary drinks and sweets to mealtime only.
- Never put your child to bed with a bottle, unless there is only water in it.
- Brush twice a day and floss every day!
- Floss cleans and removes plaque between your child’s (and your) teeth where toothbrush bristles cannot reach.
Whether an accident happens during our normal business hours or not, know that you can call us and have your child treated promptly.
Call our office at 757-703-1923. If it is after hours or on the weekend, one of our doctors or a team member will get back to you.