Tag Archives: incisors

Tongue thrusting

Tongue thrust (also called reverse swallow or immature swallow) is the common name of orofacial muscular imbalance, a human behavioral pattern in which the tongue protrudes through the anterior incisors during swallowing, speech, and while the tongue is at rest. Nearly all young children exhibit a swallowing pattern involving tongue protrusion, but by the age of six most have switched to a normal swallowing pattern. People who tongue thrust do it naturally and are usually unaware of the behavior. Continue reading

Eruption dates

Human beings have two sets of teeth —- Primary (milk teeth) and Permanent. There are 20 primary and 32 permanent teeth. In some people one or more teeth may be absent, or they may have some extra teeth (supernumerary). Usually the first primary teeth erupt by 6 months and the first permanent by 6 years of age. Children loose their milk teeth between 6 and 11 years of age. By the age of 13 years almost all the permanent teeth have erupted: 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars and 12 molars. The last 4 molars commonly known as wisdom teeth appear much later, between 18 to 21 years. The main function of your teeth is to chew and cut food. Anterior teeth are used to bite and tear food while the posterior teeth help in chewing. Hence your dental health is an important part of your general health and your overall well-being. Continue reading