Baby teeth falling out is a sign that your child’s teeth are developing healthily. That being said, there are hundreds of parents who worry or question when teeth are going to fall out, or if their child is too early or too late when a tooth comes in. One common misconception is around the concept of molars. Many parents might not remember when their teeth came in and fell out, but when it comes to your molars some of them never fall out. Many of your back molars are your very first permanent teeth, so when your child has those back teeth come in, they are the teeth that are here to stay. In this article, we will cover the different types of molars and which ones fall out.
There are many different types of teeth. As omnivores, we need teeth that can help chew tougher foods like vegetables as well as teeth that can bite and tear through meats. Our front teeth are known as the incisors and are the ones we use to bite and rip food. There are eight total incisors, four on the top and four on the bottom. A child will have two full sets of incisors in their lifetime. At a young age the incisors will start to erupt and when you child is 7-10 years old they will fall out and be replaced by adult teeth. Canines are the four teeth that are outside of the incisors. They are typically pointed teeth and arrive after the incisors.
It is important to understand the difference between premolars and molars. Behind the canines, your child will develop four molars, called their first and second molars. And with these teeth, your children will have their full set of baby teeth. A child’s smile is made up of the eight incisors, four canines, and four molars for a total of 16 teeth. However, an adult’s smile is made up of eight incisors, four canines, eight premolars, eight molars (and 4 wisdom teeth that may be removed). Your child’s first two sets of molars will fall out and be replaced by two sets of premolars. These teeth are called bicuspids because they often have two points. Behind the bicuspids will be two (three including the wisdom teeth) sets of full molars. These teeth are never replaced. The first adult molar can arrive around age 6-7 behind the baby molars. Some parents may be confused and assume that these new molars will fall out at some point, but they won’t.
If you live in the Revere Massachusetts area and need to set up a dental appointment for you or someone in your family, please give us a call, we would be happy to get you an appointment at our office in revere.
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Wednesday: 10:30am – 6:30pm
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