Baby teeth, also known as deciduous teeth, are the first set of teeth to appear in a person's mouth. They usually start to emerge at 6 months of age and the last one comes out at approximately 2 years. At around 6 years old, permanent teeth begin to come out and there is a combination of primary and permanent teeth, called mixed dentition. This is a natural process in which teeth enter the mouth and become visible.
The primary dentition refers to the 20 deciduous teeth, while secondary dentition refers to the 32 permanent teeth. The first human teeth to appear are the deciduous teeth, which come into the mouth between 6 months and 2 years of age. The tooth buds of the primary teeth are present in the womb and the dental lamina from which they develop is present as early as 12 weeks in the womb. At that point, the first permanent tooth comes out and a time begins in which there is a combination of primary and permanent teeth, known as the mixed dentition stage.
This stage lasts until the last primary tooth is lost, usually at ten, eleven or twelve years. During this stage, there is significant challenges in establishing the maxillomandibular relationship due to unerupted or partially erupted permanent teeth, loose deciduous teeth that have not been exfoliated, and the discrepancy in the size of the crown of the newly emerged permanent dentition together with the smaller retained primary teeth. The roots of the primary teeth will be reabsorbed as the permanent teeth develop and begin to erupt, ending with the exfoliation of the primary teeth. Since there are no premolars in the primary dentition, they are replaced by permanent premolars.
The canines (sometimes called eye teeth) are conical teeth that are located just behind the incisors and generally work in a similar way to the incisors.
With this system, the third upper right molar is tooth number 1, and the teeth are numbered sequentially moving through the maxillary dentition from right to left, with the third left molar being tooth number 16. Tooth eruption is a process in which teeth enter the mouth and become visible.Mixed dentition presents significant challenges in establishing the maxillomandibular relationship due to unerupted or partially erupted permanent teeth, loose deciduous teeth that have not been exfoliated, and the discrepancy in the size of the crown of the newly emerged permanent dentition together with the smaller retained primary teeth. Understanding mixed dentition is important for proper dental care. It is essential to be aware of this process so that proper care can be taken to ensure healthy development of both primary and permanent teeth.
