Tag Archives: milk teeth

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

Two sets of teeth in our lifetime

We have two sets of teeth in our lifetime.

The first set of our teeth is known as deciduous/primary/milk/baby/temporary teeth. There are a total of 20 teeth in the oral cavity/mouth.

Deciduous Teeth

On the upper jaw, there are 2 central incisors, 2 lateral incisors, 2 canines and 4 molars making it a total of 10 teeth. Same goes for the lower jaw making it a grand total of 20 teeth altogether. Continue reading

How Are Teeth Numbered in the Human Mouth?

Have you ever wondered what the dentist is talking bout when he says “filling on four-eight, missing one-six” etc? Here below are some of the systems used by dentists worldwide to number each tooth. First of all, you’ll need to know the types of teeth you have in your mouth. Continue reading

When Should a Toddler Go to the Dentist

school dental service provided by the MDA. Treatments are carried out by the dental nurse

In Malaysia, we are blessed for we are given free dental services in the primary and secondary schools nationwide by the Malaysian Dental Association (MDA). Due to the expensive charges from private dentists, and the long waiting line in government dental clinics, many parents are very reluctant to bring their children to see the dentist. Some of parents could not even afford it. Most of the parents have the concept that, milk teeth (the baby’s first set of teeth) are going to fall out sooner or later, so they are not important at all. This is not true, as poorly taken care of milk teeth will lead to many problems in the future, and in some circumstances, will negatively affect the permanent teeth. Continue reading