Losing baby teeth

Baby (primary or deciduous) teeth remain in the mouth for only a few years of our lives, until they are replaced by the permanent teeth. But even for this short time the baby teeth serve several important functions for the development of the child.

• They allow chewing, helping children to maintain proper nutrition. Without teeth a child must follow a very limited diet that may cause problems with the body’s development.
• They help the child’s facial development and appearance.
• They are necessary for developing speech patterns and allowing children to learn speak properly.
• Baby teeth contribute to jaw development, preserving space for the permanent teeth that will replace them. They guide permanent teeth into their correct position ensuring proper alignment and spacing.
• They serve for teaching children good oral health habits at an early age, which will help them keep healthy their permanent teeth for the rest of their life.

• If a baby tooth is lost much earlier than expected due to trauma or dental caries, the rest teeth may drift in its place and prevent the permanent tooth from erupting properly. Read more on ‘Early Loss of Baby Teeth’.
• Losing baby teeth too late (or not at all) may also cause problems. The permanent’s tooth course is blocked and it will either remain ‘trapped’ inside the jaw or will erupt in an abnormal position or direction. Read more on ‘Losing Baby Teeth Late’.
• When a baby tooth becomes loose and starts to move, children may worry if it will be painful or be afraid that they will swallow it if it falls out in their sleep. Parents must calm the child’s anxiety by explaining that they will feel no pain when losing a baby tooth neither they have to worry if they even swallow one of them.
• If a baby tooth is pulled out forcefully by an anxious parent or child before its root is adequately dissolved, it could break requiring the dentist’s intervention to remove the remained part of the root. The permanent tooth may also get damaged.

As you can see in a baby teeth fall out chart (tooth loss chart), the period in which each one is expected to be lost is very wide ranging from one to two years. Even if these time frames are considered as the most common, not losing a tooth within these time frames is not always abnormal. Some children may lose a baby tooth up to a year or two earlier or later than expected without facing any problems.

Baby teeth usually fall out with the same pattern and sequence that they have erupted. If a child’s primary teeth have erupted relatively earlier or later than average, it is common that the same might happen when they are about to fall out. Parents may keep a record of the dates that each tooth came in the mouth of the child. By comparing these dates with the average time frames in a teeth eruption chart and applying the differences in a baby teeth fall out chart, they can determine when each tooth is more likely to be lost.

The safest way to know if everything is normal when your child is losing baby teeth is to follow a schedule of regular visits to a pediatric dentist.