Sharing tales of the Tooth Fairy with your wide-eyed child and seeing the excitement on their face is enough reason to continue the wonderful and amazing folklore. Hence, come the time when your child loses their first baby tooth, you were just as excited to play the role of the fairy and replace their baby tooth with a small reward. So, when can the fun begin? That leads us to a common question, what is the average age that a child loses their first tooth?
Loss of Primary Teeth
Most kids will lose their first tooth around the age of six. Their teeth become loose to make way for the permanent or adult teeth. Your baby’s first molars tend to appear between the age six and seven, central incisors between the age six and eight, and the lateral incisors between the age seven and eight. The canine teeth, premolars and second molars may appear between the ages nine and 13. The last tooth (third molars or wisdom teeth) appears between 17 and 21 years of age.
Long-Term Importance of Baby Teeth
Several articles have been published about the importance of visiting a kids dentist and taking care of your child’s primary teeth. Primary or baby teeth serves as a guide as to where your kid’s permanent teeth should grow. Hence, if a baby tooth falls out prematurely due to an accident or other instances, the growth your adult tooth may be affected.
A gap between a knocked out tooth may create tooth spacing problems later on. A decayed baby tooth is also another reason for you to visit your kids dentist. A badly decayed tooth can lead to mouth pain and discomfort, dental abscess and other dental problems.
It is best that your kid makes their first dentist visit as their first tooth appears. Kids dentists recommend that proper oral hygiene habits be taught upon the arrival of that first tooth. This will ensure good oral hygiene as each additional tooth grows in, and allows for your child to have an orthodontic evaluation to prevent crooked teeth or other teeth growth problems.
Parents should remember that growing teeth may be painful and cause a lot of discomfort for you child. Those teeth are puncturing through. Doesn’t sound fun. While cold packs, and sometimes anti-inflammatory medications may be called for, usually, the best medicine for teething babies is love and reassurance.