How Do Your Child's Teeth Grow?

By Gina C. Pham, DDS

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How Do Your Child's Teeth Grow?

Newborns do have teeth. In fact, primary teeth, or baby teeth, begin to grow during the embryonic development stage as early as six weeks into pregnancy. By the time the infant is born, he or she has already developed crowns of the primary teeth in the jawbones. At around six to eight months after birth, the first two primary lower front teeth start to break through the gum tissues.

The average child will have a full set of teeth by the time they are three years old. As the child grows, the jaw expands and allows spaces behind the last back teeth to make room for the first permanent molars. These permanent molars start to erupt when the child is around six years old.

Even though permanent teeth will eventually replace the primary teeth, they do serve several important purposes. A common question asked by parents is, “Baby teeth will fall out anyway so why should we fix them?”

Normally, primary teeth will remain in the mouth up to age 12. A child needs strong and healthy back teeth to chew food effectively and front teeth to help with speech and word pronunciations. Equally as important is that the primary teeth help reserve spaces for permanent teeth, which will replace the primary teeth when they fall out.

Infant teeth are susceptible to decay or cavities as soon as they first appear in the mouth. Tooth decay in children is also known as early childhood caries or nursing bottle caries. Multiple cavities could occur when the child's teeth come in contact for prolonged periods to drinks such as milk, formula, juice, or other sweetened drinks. The child's teeth are especially prone to decay when parents allow the child to sleep with a bottle filled with such contents.

When a child loses the primary back teeth to severe decay or infections, the remaining teeth may shift, and he or she may lose the space reserved for permanent teeth. Missing front teeth may sometimes cause problems with pronunciation.

Parents should help keep their child's teeth clean by thoroughly brushing at night and in the morning. Also, wipe the infant's gums with clean warm gauze after feeding.

Limiting the amount of sweetened drinks would reduce the chance of tooth decay. Finally, to ensure healthy tooth development, parents should take their child to a pediatric dentist by age one as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.