How does a child's molar grow? Chewing teeth in children: features of the eruption of milk and permanent molars. Condition or cause

The growth of the first teeth in children is usually accompanied by pain and fever. They rarely appear asymptomatically. Parents should know about the order of their growth and the characteristics of their appearance. So, when do they grow, how do children cut their teeth, how do they change, and what needs to be done if a temperature appears. Let's try to figure it out.

When do molars grow in children?

Many parents believe that molars are permanent teeth, that is, those that replace milk teeth. However, this is not true. All molars are divided into milk and permanent teeth. Deciduous molars are the first teeth that perform the function of chewing and grinding food. These are the so-called back teeth, located at the end of the jaws.

Babies' teeth grow from 6-8 months. Primary molars are four teeth on each jaw: central teeth, which appear before 1.5 years, and lateral molars, which appear before 2.5 years.

Children's permanent permanent teeth appear from 5-6 years old until 12-15. By this age, all baby teeth are usually replaced by permanent ones. But the process of this change is so long because it depends on the overall development of the child’s body.

Do molars change in children?

After baby teeth fall out, children grow permanent molars. The order of their growth corresponds to the loss of milk. This means that children's lower incisors first fall out. The molars fall out later by a couple of months, sometimes even years.

When permanent molars grow, there should be no obstacles in their path. It often happens that the permanent ones have already begun to grow, but the milk ones do not fall out. And if the milk ones are not removed in time, the permanent ones grow crookedly. Therefore, parents should quickly remove baby teeth when the issue of primary occlusion arises.

It is necessary to control the growth process of permanent molars in children. If the baby’s bite change period is delayed by 3-4 months, you should already worry, because a delay in changing the molars can be a signal of serious illness. These are, for example, metabolic disorders and vitamin deficiency, rickets.

Parents should know that the formation of permanent teeth occurs in the last months of pregnancy. It is then that the process of replacing primary dental units with permanent ones begins. When permanent teeth erupt with a significant delay, the pediatric dentist may prescribe x-ray diagnostics to determine the causes of this phenomenon. An x-ray makes it possible to clearly determine the stage of their development and predict the timing of eruption. Although normally, after the milk teeth fall out, the tips of the permanent ones are visible in their place. They grow throughout a person’s entire life, so from the very beginning of their growth it is imperative to do everything possible to prevent factors that negatively affect their growth and the development of permanent dentition.

To keep the chewing organs healthy, it is necessary to ensure regular prevention of dental diseases. When temporary teeth deteriorate prematurely and fall out, a child’s teeth turn black, and caries appears on the erupted permanent teeth, this is very bad. To avoid such situations, you need to control the amount of sugar in your child’s diet. It is this that causes the appearance of lactic acid, which destroys tooth enamel and dentin.

From early childhood, the baby should be taught to thoroughly clean the mouth in the morning and evening. Evening brushing is especially important, because during the day a huge amount of bacteria accumulates in the mouth, destroying the dentition. To keep children's molars healthy, it is recommended to use fluoride and calcium-containing toothpastes to care for them. The application of fluoride-containing preparations is often required.

Primary molars: temperature

The eruption of molars (both primary and permanent teeth) is often accompanied by an increase in temperature and general weakness of the child. You should know that other teeth can grow in with almost no problems. But the indigenous ones most often bring anxiety to their owner.

The appearance of temperature during this period is understandable. Swelling of the gums increases blood flow in it, and then the body compensates for the swelling with a portion of biologically active substances. He tries to quickly eliminate the painful condition. This means that the child’s body reacts to the appearance of molars as if it were a disease. This explains the increase in temperature.

Therapy in such a situation depends on the degree of temperature increase and how easily the child tolerates it. It happens that the temperature may even be accompanied by convulsions. Then, of course, you can’t stand it and you need to see a doctor. This must be done in order to rule out another disease that may develop and occur during the eruption of your child’s molars.

Especially for - Diana Rudenko

During a person’s life, 20 teeth change, and the rest (8-12) are permanent and grow as molars initially. The eruption of molars in babies is a crucial period for both children and parents. The features of this process and the timing depend on heredity and living conditions (climate, diet, quality of drinking water). Therefore, there are no clear, uniform deadlines for the eruption of molars. Most children have all 20 baby teeth by the age of three. By the age of five, children's molars begin to grow, and milk teeth are replaced by permanent ones.

How to distinguish baby teeth from permanent teeth

The structure of primary and permanent teeth is the same, but they can be distinguished by the following characteristics:

the shade of temporary teeth is white, permanent teeth are light yellow;
molars are denser and contain a greater degree of mineralization;
the pulp of a baby tooth is larger, the walls of dense tissues are thin;
permanent teeth are larger, more elongated;
the root of temporary teeth is thin and short, unlike paired permanent teeth; when the roots of temporary molars are formed, they diverge wider, which allows a permanent rudiment to grow in the free space.

Where do teeth come from?

The formation and development of teeth begins in the sixth week of intrauterine development of the embryo. The source is the epithelial dental plate. By the 14th week of pregnancy, the baby's hard dental tissues of the crown and root are actively forming.
The first rudiments of molars appear by the fifth month of fetal life. They appear either above the future milk teeth (on the upper jaw) or below (on the lower jaw). By the time a newborn is born, the rudiments of the primary and permanent teeth of the replacement group (corresponding to temporary teeth) are almost completely formed in the tissues of the jaws.
Additional teeth that do not have milk predecessors are formed mainly after a year. A child's jaw is small and there is simply not enough space for all the teeth.
Due to the small jaw, only 20 primary teeth grow, 10 on each jaw - 4 incisors, 2 canines and 4 molars.
By the end of the period of changing teeth, the maxillofacial system of children approaches the size of an adult and can already accommodate a full set of teeth. On each jaw of a teenager there are 4 incisors, 2 canines, 2 small and 3 large molars.

Teeth arrangement

Each tooth in dentistry has its own serial number: for baby teeth, Roman numerals are used:

I and II - incisors;
III - canine;
IV and V molars.

Adult permanent teeth are numbered from the center:

1 and 2 – incisors;
3 – fang;
4 and 5 – small molars;
6,7 and 8 - large molars (the last one - wisdom teeth - may be missing).

Sequence of appearance of permanent teeth

The time frame for replacing baby teeth with permanent ones is approximately the same. Molar teeth begin to appear from the age of 5, when the first large molars erupt. At what age do children develop outer molars? The further replacement scheme looks something like this:

The first to change are the central incisors on the lower jaw.
The upper central and lower lateral incisors appear at approximately the same time.
At 8-9 years of age, the upper lateral incisors change.
By the age of 12, small molars must be replaced.
At about 13 years of age, the canines are replaced.
From the age of 14, the second large molars, which are not among the milk teeth, erupt.
From the age of 15, “wisdom teeth” can appear; they often remain in the gums until old age.

Signs of molar growth

How to determine whether your baby will soon have molars? The imminent eruption of molars is indicated by:
Increasing spaces between teeth in primary dentition. The loose position is explained by the growth of the jaw.
Temporary teeth become loose because their roots gradually dissolve and cannot be securely attached to the jaw tissues.
If a baby tooth falls out, this indicates the eruption of a permanent one – it is the temporary one that is being pushed out.
Swelling and redness may appear on the gum where the tooth appears, and in rare cases, a cyst with clear liquid may appear.

Pain in the gum area, increased body temperature, and poor health do not accompany the eruption of molars. These signs may indicate the addition of an infection with reduced immunity, other dental and general diseases. If these signs appear, the child must be examined.

Children's adult dental problems

Emerging molars may already have dental problems, and parents should be prepared for them.

No molars

All the average periods for changing teeth have passed, but the permanent ones are still not showing. In this case, dairy products behave differently: they fall out or continue to remain in place. When consulting a dentist, a survey X-ray is taken, which clearly shows the skull with the developing molars. The reasons for growth retardation may be a hereditary predisposition (and the picture will show this) or edentia - the absence of the rudiments of adult teeth due to a violation of their formation in the prenatal period. Death due to inflammation is also possible. In such cases, prosthetics are recommended for both the child and the future adult.

My tooth hurts

Immediately upon eruption, the tooth enamel has not yet reached a normal level of mineralization. This period is dangerous due to the high risk of adult caries in children. When affected by caries, especially if deep destruction occurs, pulpitis develops, and if treatment is not timely, periodontitis develops. In such cases, the baby constantly experiences toothache, the temperature may rise, and general malaise is observed. The best way to relieve your child of toothache is a visit to the clinic. Delay leads to the spread of caries and the loss of an already permanent tooth.

If a child has had problems with caries on baby teeth, as a preventive measure, fissure sealing can be done - closing the natural deep pockets on the molars with composite materials. This procedure prevents the accumulation of food debris and plaque in the pockets, and therefore reduces the risk of infection.

Grow unevenly

If the molars erupt before the baby teeth fall out, their normal growth and alignment are disrupted. If the molar grows behind the milk tooth, this leads to malocclusion and the need for orthodontic treatment. During consultation with a dentist, the baby tooth is removed to give a chance to correct the crooked primary tooth. It is not recommended to loosen a tooth on your own (let alone pull it out).

Permanent teeth fall out

If children's molars fall out, this may indicate that the child has health problems. This situation can be caused by both oral diseases (gum inflammation, pulpitis, caries) and general diseases (diabetes mellitus, rickets, systemic connective tissue diseases). The loss of a permanent dentition tooth is a serious problem, since the restoration of the lost tooth will require serious attention. This primarily concerns the teeth of the anterior group. In order for the development of the maxillofacial system to proceed normally, the child needs a temporary prosthesis, which must be replaced as the jaw grows. And only when it is completely formed, you can begin permanent prosthetics.

Injuries to molars

Children are very mobile, so there is always a risk of various injuries. Since teeth continue to mature for several years after eruption, the risk of damage to them from a fall or impact is quite high. Doctors often see young patients with a broken tooth or a crack after a minor injury. For minor damage, correction is carried out and volume is increased with composite materials.

Many parents are interested in the question: do molars change again and whether children can grow new teeth if they lose old ones. Cases of repeated replacement of dentition in dental practice are rare as an exception. So you need to take care of all your teeth – both permanent and baby teeth, no matter how much effort it takes. Look at the photo - molars in children, as well as the stages of changing baby teeth to permanent ones - in the video.

The time when a child is cutting his adult teeth is one of the most serious and difficult periods of his development. To help the baby survive it without problems, parents need to know what symptoms indicate the eruption of molars, and how to help the child in this situation.

Molar milk teeth

Deciduous incisors, like permanent incisors, have a root.
The rudiments of such dental units are formed in the prenatal period.
When a temporary tooth is replaced by an adult one, the old root eventually resolves on its own.
On the first teeth the enamel is softer.
Baby teeth are smooth and have wide roots to provide room for the development of permanent tooth buds.
Temporary teeth are canines and lateral incisors, central and first molars, premolars. The second molars in four-year-old children are already adults.

When the rudiments of an adult tooth appear, the root of its predecessor weakens and the tooth becomes loose. If it is not pulled out, an adult tooth may be visible underneath it. When milk interferes with it, it can grow with deviations from the norm.

The dentition is symmetrical in nature, and teeth erupt in pairs: on both parts of the dentition they appear almost simultaneously.

Timing of adult teeth eruption

The rudiments of the first teeth (on average, about 20 units) in infants are formed during the first two years of life. When the time comes to replace them with permanent teeth, the milk teeth become loose and fall out. There are no specific dates for the eruption of molars; many factors can affect the speed: environmental conditions, climate, water quality and diet. Genetic characteristics also play a certain role, some of which make themselves felt even during the formation of the fetus. The influence can be both positive and negative. If parents have healthy teeth from birth, then you don’t have to worry about the child’s teeth. If the first incisors, canines and premolars grow in 3 years, then the permanent ones take a long time to erupt. The first symptoms of dentition change can be seen at the age of 5, and it continues until the age of 21, when the third molars appear.

Signs of formation of permanent teeth

The most characteristic symptom of the formation of adult teeth in childhood is the growth of jaw size. The gaps between the first teeth are small; if the jaw grows, this means that it creates conditions for new dental units. Adult teeth are larger than temporary teeth, so they require a lot of space. The distance between baby teeth increases. They lose stability and fall out. With any deviations, the teeth will break through with pain, bend, and ruin the bite. In order for a child’s teeth to grow correctly, parents need to control this process.

Permanent teeth can erupt at 6-7 years of age without any symptoms, but most often the child behaves restlessly, is capricious, gets irritated over trifles, and eats poorly. Often the formation of permanent teeth has the same signs as during the eruption of milk teeth. If other diseases occur during teething, they can distort the symptoms.

Increased secretion of saliva is a very common symptom, although it is no longer as abundant as in infancy, but the difference can be noticed. At the age of 6, children can already be taught to wipe their mouth with a napkin, otherwise irritation will appear on the face, since saliva contains many microbes that aggressively affect delicate skin.

During the period of growth of permanent teeth, the gums and mucous membranes become inflamed again. If you notice redness in the mouth, it is better to show the child to a dentist, who can accurately distinguish the beginning of teething from a banal viral infection.

Over time, swelling is observed on the gums - this is an adult tooth making its way to replace the temporary one. The germination process is painful; parents can alleviate the child’s condition with anesthetics.

Pain is replaced by itching. The child pulls any things to his mouth to soothe his gums.

A natural symptom will be deterioration in sleep quality. If he is bothered by toothache, the baby will not be able to fall asleep for a long time, often wakes up at night, cries, and tosses and turns.

Some children develop a fever, cough, and upset stool.

When teething, baby teeth give children the first pain, but molars are even more troubling. They are much larger, so their eruption causes significant discomfort, pain and even an increase in temperature. Some parents are often confused about which teeth are milk and which are molars; they do not know basic things: how many there are, in what order they should appear, which milk teeth fall out first.

Not every parent can figure out offhand how things are going with children’s teeth - are they milk teeth or have they already been replaced by permanent ones?

How do children erupt molars?

By the end of the first year of life, the baby should already have 8 milk teeth. Their earlier or later eruption is also normal, because each child’s physical development is individual. All 20 baby teeth should usually appear by 3-3.5 years. The whole kit looks like this:

four incisors above and below;
then 2 fangs on each jaw;
4 premolars (as the first molars are called in dentistry);
4 molars (2nd molars).

All these teeth will fall out in due time and be replaced by permanent ones, only the third molars, that is, the 6th molars, immediately grow as permanent teeth, because they do not have milk predecessors, as do the 7th and 8th molars . Many parents believe that baby teeth are without roots, meaning they will easily fall out on their own. However, milk teeth have the same structure as permanent teeth: there is a root, nerves, and enamel. By the way, the structure of the milk nerves is more complex, which makes such teeth more difficult to treat. In addition, they are much more vulnerable, because the enamel still contains few minerals - in case of damage or caries, a child experiences the same pain as an adult. When the time comes for a baby tooth to fall out, the root dissolves, and its crown falls out on its own or is removed easily and without pain.

Following the milk teeth, premolars appear, that is, the first permanent teeth. The change in a child can occur at the same time in the upper and lower jaws or first in the upper jaw. The permanent tooth is large in size; when erupting, a significant part of the gum is damaged, causing it to swell and the temperature to rise - the child endures this process painfully.

Within 2 months, teething occurs, the temperature may rise, the process is accompanied by copious secretion of saliva - this causes irritation around the mouth, so parents need to ensure that the skin is dry. Before going to bed, a special napkin is placed on the pillow, accumulated saliva is regularly removed, and the skin around the mouth is lubricated with special protective creams.

A child’s teeth completely change only by the age of 12-13 - then his jaw becomes indistinguishable from an adult’s and all the torment is finally left behind

When do teeth erupt?

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As a rule, the incisors come in first and they also fall out first. In children, the period of teeth eruption and subsequent loss can vary significantly. The pattern of teeth appearance can be most clearly seen in the following tables:
Here is a graph of the appearance and loss of baby teeth, but permanent teeth appear in exactly the same sequence, but take up more space. The first and usually the largest molar appears in place of the first incisors, which gradually become loose and fall out. The formation of incisors occurs from 6 to 9 years.
Following the central incisors, the lateral and then the canines change (usually between 9 and 11 years). The first premolars emerge at 10-12 years of age, and the second molars are fully formed by the age of 13. The so-called wisdom teeth can appear as early as 18 years of age, but the time can last up to 25 years. Sometimes “eights” do not appear at all, but this is not a pathology.

A visual diagram of the schedule for changing teeth in children
Symptoms of the appearance of molars in children
Parents should know when molars erupt and fall out, because when they erupt, symptoms appear that need to be recognized. The first large molar that appears can even frighten the child himself. Recognizing early symptoms can help parents respond appropriately and help children reduce distress. The following symptoms can be identified:
Enlargement of the jaw (usually the lower jaw). Children's new teeth are much larger than their baby teeth, so the jaw grows to make room for them to emerge.
Fever. Since the new tooth processes are thicker and larger, the gums swell, the blood flow into them increases, and the immune system reacts to this as a manifestation of the disease. The release of biologically active substances increases to relieve swelling, which is why the temperature rises.
Increased salivation. As with the eruption of baby teeth, saliva begins to be released intensively, only now the child is big and can take care of his mouth himself, wiping away drool, avoiding irritation of the skin around the mouth.
Redness of the gums and other areas in the mouth. A rush of blood can be considered a clear sign that new teeth are coming in.
Night sleep disturbance. Painful sensations in the gums do not allow children to sleep peacefully: the child wakes up, tosses and turns, even cries in his sleep, and the temperature may rise.

How to help your baby?
Very young children, when they are teething, are recommended to be given special rings made of silicone or rubber. It is also recommended to eat a lot of solid food: crackers, dry cookies, apples, carrots. The last recommendation is also suitable for preschool children.
Sore gums when children are teething can be relieved by various medications - for example, gels with lidocaine. It must be remembered that a child may experience allergic reactions, even anaphylactic shock, so before using “Cholisal”, “Kamistad”, “Dentinox”, it is better to check each of them.
The completely harmless “Kalgel” is contraindicated for those children who have diathesis (we recommend reading:). For a child with allergies, “Baby Doctor” or dental ointment “Solcoseryl” are best suited.
All medications must be used only as prescribed by a doctor, and the doctor can also determine to what level the temperature can not be reduced, because infants tolerate high fever more easily than preschoolers. Extreme fever, drowsiness, and high temperature can be manifestations of the disease, since immunity is greatly reduced during eruption.

Very rarely, the process of teething any teeth, both milk and molars, is completely painless in children. But, in most cases, this event can be accompanied by various unpleasant symptoms. Not all children's molars are permanent; some are baby teeth and will eventually fall out. Most often, the dentist will suggest pulling out such a tooth if it is loose; in other cases, treatment will be provided.

The eruption of molars in children, according to experts, begins at about six months, but they are considered milk teeth and not permanent teeth. They appear above and below, there are four of them in total. By about one and a half years, the baby’s central molars come out, and by two and a half years, the lateral molars come out. At the age of five, children begin to erupt permanent teeth, which completely replace milk teeth.

The pattern of changing baby teeth is almost similar to the pattern of their eruption.

It happens that a baby does not have a single tooth even at nine months; in this case, parents begin to panic, but there is no need to worry too much. Dentists consider a six-month delay in teething to be a completely natural phenomenon. Boys' teeth come out a little later than girls' teeth. To speed up the process of teething and alleviate the baby's suffering, you can give him special toys designed for this purpose to chew on. If parents believe that the baby has not cut teeth for too long, then it is worth checking him for the presence of concomitant diseases, for example, rickets. In this case, the pediatrician will prescribe a complex of vitamins and other measures that will eliminate this problem.

Adentia can also be a cause of delay in teething. This anomaly is detected by pediatric dentists using x-rays. But this phenomenon is quite rare.

Teething symptoms

When children's molars grow, many parents think about the symptoms that accompany this process. Typically, this phenomenon is characterized by the following symptoms:

Increase in child's temperature.
Increased salivation.
Whims, pain and crying.
Bowel problems, such as diarrhea.
Refusal of food.
Swollen gums.
The appearance of three (small gaps) that form between baby teeth.

But these symptoms occur when a child’s molars do not always come in, as he grows and his jaw grows with him, the teeth gradually move away from each other and the process of teething becomes much easier. When baby teeth are replaced by permanent teeth, children do not feel much discomfort. Molars destroy the roots of milk teeth, loosen them and thereby prepare them for loss.

When baby teeth are replaced by molars, children do not feel much discomfort

There are cases when children experience an increase in temperature as their molars and baby teeth grow. Many doctors do not agree that this happens precisely because of the teething process, since, as a rule, children immediately have a runny nose and cough, and all this is considered signs of a cold. Parents can make the baby’s condition easier by giving him antipyretics, such as Nurofen, and call a pediatrician to clarify the diagnosis. Also, very often antipyretics can relieve pain. The temperature in case of teething should not last more than five or seven days. In case of painful teething without fever, the dentist may advise parents to purchase special gels that relieve pain. This could be Cholisal, Kalgel, Kamistad, Mundizal, Dentinox. These gels are based on lidocoin, which relieves discomfort and has a calming effect.

All drugs are safe, but you should not use them without a prescription from your dentist, as sometimes they can still cause an allergic reaction.

Gels should also not be used for more than three to four days; you can give preference to traditional medicine, for example, rinsing your mouth with a decoction of chamomile or sage.

Growth order

Many parents have questions about whether children’s molars and their eruption order change compared to baby teeth. The answer to them can be given by the attending dentist, who usually cites the following order as an example:

The molars are cut first.
Next are the central incisors.
Then the lateral incisors.
First premolars.
Later fangs.
Second molars.
Third molars.

But such an order may not always exist during teething; violations in the order of teething are not an anomaly.

Reversal of teething order is not an anomaly

The timing of the eruption of permanent teeth in children and their symptoms are quite vague; if the symptoms are very similar to those that the child experiences even when baby teeth are cut, then the age can fluctuate greatly. For example, in the period from five to eight years, children may have lower incisors, from six to ten, central upper teeth, up to eleven years, four lateral incisors may appear, from twelve to fourteen years, fangs may be cut, eights are cut from the age of fifteen to twenty-five years. If, in the opinion of the parents, the child’s molars do not grow for too long, then this is not always a cause for great concern, since the eruption dates indicated above are very arbitrary. But, if this phenomenon causes too much concern, then you should consult a doctor at a dental clinic. On average, the period of eruption varies by about 2 years, that is, normal, for example, is considered to be from five to seven years, etc. Another fairly common question is whether children’s molars fall out. The answer to this is in the affirmative, since it is the first root teeth that are milk teeth, and they will be replaced by permanent ones. They are slightly different from their predecessors in that they are whiter in color and smaller in size.

The growth of molars should be monitored very carefully so that they correspond to the approximate timing of eruption and are even, for this you can use the photos presented in this article, if you have the slightest thought or suspicion that they are growing crookedly, you should immediately take the child to the doctor - dentist.

How to take care of your teeth

In order for molars to grow healthy, even and beautiful, parents must instill in their child some rules for caring for them:

It will be great if the child follows the example of his parents and brushes his teeth every time he eats. You can also suggest that he take care of the oral cavity with the help of rinses, and teach a very young child to rinse his mouth with a chamomile decoction. Children's molars, like baby teeth, should be protected; at the slightest sign of tooth loosening, caries and other diseases of the teeth and oral cavity, the child should be taken to a dental clinic for an examination by a specialist.