Most children are looking forward to a visit from the tooth fairy from the age of five or six. A process of loss of milk teeth begins that should be followed carefully.

During early childhood, permanent teeth develop in the jawbone.

When they reach a specific size, they start their way outwards, wear away the roots of the milk teeth, which begin to move and fall, leaving the way free for the others to fall into place.

It is what we know as a dental replacement: the complete replacement of milk teeth.

DENTAL REPLACEMENT IN TWO STAGES FOR FALLING BABY TEETH

Tooth replacement begins around six years of age and usually concludes around 12-13 years, although differences of up to one year are considered normal, both above and below.

Differences of up to one year are also observed between both sexes: girls are more intelligent due to hormonal influences. This process takes place in two distinct stages.

First stage

The first usually begins with the eruption of the first molars around the age of six. These pieces are not changed but come out directly behind the last milk teeth, in many cases without the parents noticing. The bottom ones appear first and then the top ones.

Next, lower central incisors, usually the first to appear in babies, are usually the first to fall and do the changing process. Then the upper central incisors are changed.

This sequence can be reversed in some cases, and the central incisors appear before the final molars.

This stage concludes with the replacement of the lateral incisors, followed by a period where the two dentitions coexist, the milk one and the definitive one, without any changes occurring.

Second stage

The second stage of loss of milk teeth usually begins around nine by replacing the canines and molars.

• The sequence in the upper jaw is first molar, canine and second molar.
• The line in the lower one is canine, first molar, and second molar.

The second molar does not usually erupt until 12-13, when the change process ends.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DEFINITIVE AND MILK

The main differences lie in the following points:

• While there are 20 baby teeth, the definitive dentition is made up of 32 teeth.
• The permanent molars do not replace any part but come directly behind the milk ones.
• The final pieces are more significant.
• One of the details that attract the most attention is the shape of the incisors, since they have on the edge a kind of saw, more or less pronounced, the so-called dental mamelons, which help break the gum. Over time, they wear out and disappear.
• Another feature that most surprises parents in color. Permanent teeth are more yellow than enough milk.

THE FALL

It is recommended not to force the tooth to fall when it begins to move since it can take a long time from the beginning of the process until it falls out. If we force it with frequent movements, either with the tongue or fingers, the final tooth or the gum can be damaged.

When a tooth is already very loose when moving it, it does not hurt; we can advise the child to push it with the tongue to finish loosening and falls, leaving an accessible way for the last tooth to come out without difficulty.

There are times when the definitive tooth erupts next to the milk tooth and not under it, so it does not wear down the root of the milk tooth so that it falls out. Then, a double row of teeth can be formed.

For this reason, if a tooth comes out and the milk tooth has not fallen out, it will most likely need to be removed as soon as possible to allow the new tooth to settle correctly. For this reason, it is advisable to inform the dentist to assess it.

When the final tooth has space, it will move to occupy the space.

It can take a long time between a tooth falling out and a substitute coming out. During this change process, it is advisable to visit the specialist to make revisions, sometimes parts are missing, and it is convenient to detect the problem in time.