The first baby teeth usually occurs after the child’s five years of age. But how does this fall of the milk teeth and subsequent exit of the final dentition occur?

We speak, of course, of the natural process of falling of the milk teeth, and not of accidents that cause the early fall of the tooth.

When the children have completed their milk teeth until the first of the teeth falls, there is a period of time (about three years) during which the mouth does not undergo any external change, as far as the teeth are concerned. However, the arches (the dental arches, which are the group of teeth in the jaw or in the maxilla, superior and inferior) are going to increase in size and inside the gums they are producing important and continuous changes.

What happens so that the milk teeth fall?

When the date of the first visit approaching, we observe an increasing mobility of the lower central incisors, until the first fall of a milk tooth occurs. The teeth begin to fall leaving a gap where the new tooth appears. But the first thing that has happened is that the permanent tooth that is under the gum begins to press the milk tooth, beginning to loosen it.

When the final teeth emerge, they do so by eroding the roots of milk teeth that will begin to move and fall. But sometimes, the final tooth erupts next to the milk tooth and not under it, so it will not wear out its root and both will appear in the mouth, forming a double row of teeth. This is more frequent in the incisors. If we observe it, we must inform the dentist. In these cases, usually when the milk tooth falls the definitive will move occupying the empty place.

Another factor to take into account is that the permanent teeth that come out are larger than those of milk, so the separation they had between them disappears when they fall. New teeth are not always well placed, because being larger than those they replace, they do not have enough space to position themselves correctly and leave “where they can”. Therefore, during the change of teeth, the teeth may be crooked, although when they are completed, they are generally aligned a little on their own.

In what order do the final teeth come out?

The lower incisors are born in the internal part of the gum, behind the milk teeth, pushing them outwards. In the mouth of the children you can see the pits of the new incisors behind the incisors of milk that have not yet fallen.

In the case of the upper teeth, they will be born in front of the gum pushing the milk teeth inward before their fall. The “shovels” leave around 6 or 7 years.

Also, almost at the time that the first teeth fall, an important piece makes its appearance, the first definitive molar that will come out from behind the last milk teeth. These do not replace any but occupy the free space behind the second molars that have not yet fallen and live with them for some years. The bottom ones appear first and then the top ones.

Milk teeth

We are in stages of “mixed dentition”, a period in which we find temporary teeth and definitive teeth in the mouth at the same time.

The First Phase mixed dentition occurs when the mouth has, at age eight, a mixture of permanent teeth (four upper and four lower incisors, next to the first molars) and temporary teeth (canines next to the first and second molars of milk).

The Mixed Second Phase dentition happens around eleven years old, when the lower definitive canines, the first upper premolars (replacing the first temporary molars), the lower ones, second upper and lower premolars (replacing the second molars of milk) appear.

It will not be until twelve or thirteen years when the last baby teeth will fall, the upper canines.

And there will still be more changes, with the older children and the second permanent molar, and a few years later with the wisdom tooth, which does not always appear.

During these processes of falling of the milk teeth it is necessary to continue cleaning the teeth carefully waiting for a new denture also healthy, strong and much more durable than the previous one. Because the new teeth no longer change and you also have to take care of them.