Significant Dental Milestone
Six years of age is a big milestone where your child’s mouth is concerned. It is around this age that your child will start to lose teeth and make room for the adult teeth. But this whole adult tooth stage actually starts with the eruption of the six-year-old molars.
These molars will come in behind the last deciduous (baby) molar. The six-year-old molars are the “first molars” and set the boundary that will help all the other adult teeth align in the mouth.
Many parents are aware that children start losing teeth at age six or seven, usually the two bottom middle teeth (central incisors), but are not expecting molars also to erupt about this time. It is not uncommon for children to experience similar teething symptoms (e.g., mild fever, crankiness, swollen gums, mild diarrhea) as they did when they were teething as infants.
In What Order Do Baby Teeth Fall Out and Adult Teeth Come In?
Generally, girls get their adult teeth earlier than boys and it is expected that the earlier the baby teeth come in, the sooner they will start falling out and the adult teeth will move in.
Baby teeth usually fall out in the same order in which they came in. See the chart for tooth eruption guidelines.
Preparing for Permanent Teeth
By this time it is a good idea to have built a good relationship with your dentist because he/she can:
- Ensure maintenance of good oral hygiene of the primary (baby) teeth, bone and gums so adult teeth erupt into a healthy environment
- Place spacer teeth where baby teeth have fallen out or been extracted so adult teeth can come up in the right place
- Track the order of erupting adult teeth
- Address any dental concerns, such as adult teeth that come in behind baby teeth that haven’t fallen out yet
- Answer any questions you might have
- Offer any advice on managing pain or discomfort associated with erupting molars
Sources:
1) Children 6-9 Years of Age. International Association of Paediatric Dentistry. Web. Accessed: May 8, 2014.
http://www.iapdworld.org/parents/super_pages.php?ID=parents3#1
2) Dental Topics (FAQ). Dentists4kids.com. Web. Accessed: May 8, 2014.
http://www.dentists4kids.com/parents/dentaltopics-faq/#why_are_primary_teeth_important
3) Losing baby teeth: What to expect and when. Babycenter.com. Web. Accessed: May 8, 2014.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_losing-baby-teeth-what-to-expect-and-when_3658971.bc
Reviewed May 9, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith