Milk bite, replaceable, permanent: how many teeth do children have, characteristics, periods of development

Teething for parents of young children, it is the cause of many worries and sleepless nights. What can be a deviation from the norm and when to contact a specialist - all these issues must be resolved immediately, already when they begin to appear first teeth. Their formation is a complex process that requires a responsible approach.

Bite is the interposition of the dentition with the jaws fully closed. Its formation is an important component of oral health. From the first days of a child's life, the processes of bite formation begin. The development of a permanent dental system has been going on for two decades.

Dentists distinguish three periods of bite development:

• temporary or milky;
• mixed or removable;
• constant.

Characteristics of a milk bite

A temporary or milk bite has its own characteristics. Development takes place in 2 stages:

• formation process;
• formed.

For each stage, there are established dates in which teeth appear in sequence, determined by the physiological nature of a person.

Teething sequence

Babies are born without teeth, although the beginnings of the appearance are already present inside the gums. Then begins teething process, which is often accompanied by whims, fever, swelling of the mucous membranes.

Teething begins when the baby is 3-4 months old, ends by 3 years of age. These time limits may vary depending on the individual characteristics of the child's body.

The teeth appear in pairs: first, the lower pairs erupt, and then the upper ones. The first period is characterized by a dense arrangement, in the second period, gaps are formed.

The cutting sequence is shown in the table.

Teeth	Teething time
Central incisors	Lower - 5-7 months, upper - 7-9
Lateral incisors	7-10 months
Molars	12-17 months
Fangs	13-20 months
Second pair of molars	20-30 months

The teeth of babies who are born prematurely often lag behind in eruption. The delay may be due to a lack of essential vitamins.

Important differences

The peculiarity of the milk bite is the appearance of 20 teeth for the entire period of formation, there are no premolars.

Temporary bite has a number of distinctive features that can be divided into 2 groups. The first group refers to the period of formation:

• the upper jaw develops better than the lower;
• the dentition is symmetrical;
• paired units do not completely touch.

The second group characterizes the formed milk bite:

• units begin to move away from each other due to lengthening of the jaw itself;
• severe wear of all teeth;
• free space is formed behind the molars.

Caring for baby teeth begins with the appearance of the first units. First, they are cleaned with a fingertip or silicone liner, then move on to the first brushes. For cleaning children's milk teeth, special toothpastes are used that are free of abrasive substances and chemical components.

Many parents believe that milk teeth do not need to be treated, since a change will occur at a certain age, but this is the wrong position. Milk bite largely determines the formation of a permanent one.

The table shows the main differences between deciduous and permanent teeth.

Dairy	Permanent
20 units	32 units
White and transparent color	Gray and yellow
Convex and embossed	Smoothed and flat
Milk teeth are smaller than permanent teeth in overall size

Correction of milk bite is necessary in the following cases:

• if the teeth do not have enough room to grow, they grow crooked;
• delay or absence of primordia at set periods and later;
• after removal of molars for medical reasons;
• jaw injury.

Replaceable bite - what is it

Replaceable or temporary bite in children is characterized by the fact that at the same time both milk and permanent teeth are in the mouth. This period begins at the age of 5-6 years: from the moment when the teeth begin to fall out. Formation stages:

1. The first stage includes the appearance of incisors and sixes, it lasts up to 9-10 years.
2. The second stage is characterized by the appearance of lateral teeth and lasts up to 12-13 years.

The shift period has its own characteristics. It is characterized by:

• active growth of the jaw;
• tooth mobility, root resorption.

A common phenomenon that causes concern among parents: milk teeth remain in the mouth, and permanent ones begin to grow behind them. This is a common occurrence. To select an adjustment, the help of a specialist is needed. In cases where the milk tooth displaces the permanent one, the dentist will recommend removal. But there are cases in which no action is required.

The loss, as well as the growth of the shift, must be closely monitored.

The mechanism of change looks like this: the root endings are gradually destroyed due to the fact that the rudiment of a permanent adult tooth is adjacent to them. Vessels that appear in the hole promote active destruction and resorption of the root.

The changeable stage of development ends only when all milk teeth fall out.

Permanent teeth

The beginning of the formation of a permanent bite is considered to be the appearance of the first permanent molars. Stages of development:

1. Eruption of the last permanent molars.
2. Preformal stage. The development of the jaw arches, the appearance of wisdom teeth.
3. Formed. The restructuring processes, the formation of the jaw bones are stopped.

The approximate mark of the end of the formation of a permanent bite is 25-26 years.

Teeth are divided into 4 types, each of them has an individual shape, performs its functions:

• incisors (8 pieces), with their help a person bites off food;
• canines (4 pieces), located behind the incisors, they are characterized by sharp edges, with their help the food structure is torn;
• premolars (8 pieces), located sequentially behind the canines, facilitate chewing and grinding food;
• molars (12 pieces), there are most of them in the mouth, help to finally grind, grind food.

How the units will look in the formed jaw row determines the course of the previous stages of development, therefore it is important to monitor the situation, as well as solve problems in time. The size of the dentition decreases with age, this is due to the abrasion of the enamel.

An irregular permanent bite develops if failures occurred at any stage of development. Orthodontists are responsible for corrections. Techniques that help correct the situation are:

• wearing braces;
• the use of silicone caps.

These methods are recommended when the permanent bite is not yet fully formed.

How to prevent problems

The location, the degree of closeness of the dentition significantly affects the state of the whole organism. Incorrect positioning leads to:

• disruption of the intestines, since the development of bite directly affects the digestion of food;
• speech impairment, in many cases this is due to serious defects;
• respiratory failure;
• ENT diseases;
• the development of periodontal disease and other diseases of the oral cavity.

To prevent development malocclusion, it is necessary to take measures in advance:

• prevention of rickets in a child;
• compliance with all rules of breastfeeding;
• use of an orthodontic nipple;
• weaning from bad habits (thumb sucking, pacifiers, drinking through a straw);
• constant change of poses for sleeping;
• habit oral care;
• timely change of toothbrushes;
• well-chosen Toothpaste;
• timely introduction of solid food.

All these activities will help children in the formation of the correct bite. Unfortunately, there are problems that are not related to methods of behavior during development. Formation can be influenced by:

• hereditary anomalies;
• jaw injuries;
• ENT diseases in which the child's mouth is constantly open;
• pathological problems of underdevelopment of the jaw muscles.

In these cases, close supervision by specialists is necessary, as well as compliance with all recommendations.

The development of a correct bite is important for a future comfortable life, therefore, it is necessary to monitor the development of the entire system from the first days of life.