Greetings! It is Nice to See You!
Hola! Que gusto de vertex Ciao! È bello vedette Bon jour! C’est sympa de te void
Welcome back to my website! I would like to talk to you today about the growth of teeth because you and almost every living mammal has two sets of teeth. It is fascinating when you think about the magic of teeth and how they grow.
When you were born, you didn’t have any teeth in your mouth. Then POP! One day one of those little darling pearly whites appeared! This makes me very happy! You were very little at the time so you probably do not remember. All your baby teeth popped up until you had 20! This all happened by the time you were just 3 years old. The first set of teeth you have go by a few names, most common is “baby teeth”. You might also hear them called “milk teeth” or as those of us dentists who you go to see like to say, “primary teeth.” Whatever you like to call them, these tiny darlings have a very important job.
Your baby teeth are around for 5 to 10 years, depending on what tooth you are talking about. There are five important jobs that baby teeth have. First, they help the adult teeth growing under them to form. Second, the baby teeth hold a space in the jaw bones for the adult teeth. The third important job of these beautiful treasures is they help you to form the sounds that make words when you speak. Of course, the baby teeth help you to bite into and chew your food so you can grow up big and strong! When the baby teeth have finished their job with you, my Tooth Fairies come and bring them home to me. Did you know your teeth are as strong as your bones? That is because these super pearly beauties have to last you your entire life!
Your adult teeth or permanent teeth are much bigger than your baby teeth. The first one that usually comes into your mouth is when you are around five to six years old. Unlike the baby teeth, there are 32 adult teeth and the last comes in when you are around 18 years old. Because the last tooth is so late, it has a special name, it is called the “wisdom tooth” because in the old days, that is when young people left for better school opportunities.
All of these super hero adult teeth work together and have a similar job to the baby teeth. In addition, these massive pearly whites give you a beautiful smile for a lifetime if you take care of them!
For both baby and adult teeth, it is important to brush twice a day with toothpaste that has fluoride in it. You should make certain that you get all of the sides of your teeth – the outside, the inside and the chewing surfaces. I recommend using a toothpaste with fluoride because it helps to build strong teeth. Think of Harry Potter as a tooth and the fluoride is the Patronus. More on this subject in October!
Ta-ta my little friends until October! If you have any questions, don’t forget that you can call my buddies at the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership:
Dr. Tooth Fairy
855-CT-DENTAL Monday-Friday 8AM – 5PM
