It can be hard to determine what teeth are baby teeth and which ones are permanent. Your baby's first tooth makes its grand debut around 6 months of age, and by two to three years old, all 20 baby teeth should have erupted in their mouth. Six years old is when you can expect your children to lose their first baby teeth and have permanent teeth peek through. Keep the tooth fairy on standby; this process of permanent teeth replacing baby teeth will continue until your child is 12 or 13.
As your child gets older, it can be hard to tell the difference between baby teeth and permanent teeth. Having teeth of both types is called a mixed dentition. The Indian Dental Association's tooth eruption chart is a good guide that helps parents know approximately when their child's baby teeth will appear, when they will shed them and when their adult teeth will come in. The chart helps you distinguish which teeth belong to the first or second set.
Importance of Baby Teeth
Baby teeth, also called primary teeth, play an important role in guaranteeing your child has a beautiful smile as an adult. Baby teeth hold space in your child's jaw so that the permanent teeth will come in properly. If you notice small spaces between your child's baby teeth, do not worry, this is quite natural, with the spaces there to allow extra room for the permanent teeth.
When baby teeth are extensively decayed or injured, the permanent tooth underneath can become infected or damaged. If baby teeth have to be removed because of decay or injury, other teeth can drift and block the permanent tooth from coming in. The permanent tooth may even struggle to align correctly.
