Paediatric dentistry guidelines for parents
Children’s first (milk) teeth are important because, apart from being needed for chewing and speaking, they help to maintain space for permanent teeth, developing underneath them in the jaws. If the milk teeth are well looked after, then it is more likely that the second (permanent) teeth will grow into their correct position. DID YOU KNOW? Babies in utero have about 20 teeth already developing. Children’s teeth begin forming before birth. As early as 4 but usually 6-7 months, the first milk teeth to erupt are the lower central incisors. Although 20 milk teeth appear by the age of 3, the pace and order of their eruption varies. The first permanent tooth is usually one of the four six-year-molars – so named because they appear around age 6. Molars are important because they help shape the lower part of the child’s face as well as affect the position of the other permanent teeth. Source: https://www.acharyadental.com/paediatric-dentistry-guidelines-parents/