Looking After Baby Teeth
Baby teeth are the first set of teeth that your baby develops. More commonly known as 'milk teeth' these teeth actually start developing whilst your baby is still in the womb. But these are not proper teeth as you imagine them to be but are instead 'tooth buds' which take the form of small white bumps in the child's mouth.
The medical name for baby teeth is 'deciduous'teeth.
This section contains the following articles:
These discuss various issues related to cleaning and caring for your baby's teeth. This includes common baby teeth problems, what toothbrush to use and the importance of dental care " even at a very young age.
Do the baby teeth appear all at once?
The appearance of the milk teeth is one of several stages in your baby's development and happens over a period of time. Your baby will not suddenly present you with a full set of teeth but will gradually develop these within two years after birth. The name given to the emergence of the baby teeth is known as 'teething'. There are babies who are born with their first teeth but the usual pattern is the appearance of the first tooth around the age of 3 months. In most cases baby teeth appear between the ages of three months and twelve months. If your baby is an 'early developer' then you can expect to see a tooth or two at the age of three months. Likewise, if your baby is a 'late developer'then their first tooth will not appear until they reach their first birthday! Most children have all their milk teeth by their third birthday.
Which teeth appear first?
The teeth in the bottom of the jaw appear first, followed by the teeth in the upper half of the jaw. It is usually the middle teeth you notice then the teeth along the sides and finally, the back teeth. But all babies are different when it comes to teething. They all develop teeth at different stages so don't expect your baby to develop milk teeth at the same time as your friend's children.
This is discussed in more detail in our teething process article.
