Childrens Dental Care
A childs first teeth usually develop between six months and one year after they are born. The first teeth to appear are usually the two middle ones (both top and bottom). During this time your babies gums will probably be red and swollen, as they are teething. Your childs first dental visit should be between the eruption of the first tooth and their first birthday.
By the age of about three your child should have a full set of 20 baby teeth. It is very important to look after these teeth well for two reasons:
- The baby teeth hold the places for the permanent teeth, so if a baby tooth is lost the permanent replacement could come in crooked.
- If you do not motivate your child to keep clean teeth while they are young, they may continue bad habits as they grow older.
Your childs baby teeth sould start to fall out at around the age of 6, and will be replaced up until the age of 12 or 13. By the age of 16 they should have a complete set of 32 permanent teeth. Childrens teeth are very hard to maintain because chidren tend to eat more sugary food, have varying sizes of teeth and are not as good as adults at brushing their teeth.