Milk tooth

Milk tooth (also known as a deciduous tooth, baby tooth, temporary tooth, and primary tooth) is the first set of teeth in the growth development of humans and many other mammals. They develop during the embryonic stage of development and erupt—that is, they become visible in the mouth—during infancy. They are usually lost and replaced by permanent teeth, but in the absence of permanent replacements, they can remain functional for many years.

Development

Tooth development is the complex process by which teeth form from embryonic cells, grow, and erupt into the mouth. For human teeth to have a healthy oral environment, all parts of the tooth must develop during appropriate stages of fetal development. Primary (baby) teeth start to form between the sixth and eighth week of prenatal development, and permanent teeth begin to form in the twentieth week. If teeth do not start to develop at or near these times, they will not develop at all.

Function

A primary tooth's main functions are for the child to be able to eat and speak properly. They also help guide the eruption of the permanent tooth. The roots of primary teeth provide an opening for the permanent teeth to erupt through the gums.

Loss

The shedding of primary teeth begins around age six, when the permanent teeth start pushing teeth out of the mouth until the child has lost all their primary teeth by age twelve. The process of shedding primary teeth and their replacement by permanent teeth is called exfoliation. This may last from age six to age twelve.

See also

• Dental anatomy
• Tooth eruption
• Tooth development

References

Milk tooth Resources
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