Dentistry
for children is perhaps the most needed, and yet very often the
most neglected of all services performed by the dentist. The value
of this service cannot be exaggerated, for inadequate or unsatisfactory
dental treatment during childhood may damage permanently, the
entire masticatory apparatus, leaving the individual with many
of the dental problems so common in todays adult population. Therefore,
in
Dentistry for Children, one is dealing mainly with
'prevention'.
Normal
Teeth
ERUPTION DATES : The primary
teeth consist of 20 teeth {4 incisors, 2 canines and 4 molars
in each arch}. The eruption sequence in the primary dentition
usually follows a definite pattern. Central incisors erupt first,
followed by lateral incisors, first molars, canines and 2nd molars.
The
upper (maxillary) central incisors erupt at
6 months of
age, then the lower (mandibular) lateral incisors at
7-8 months,
then the upper lateral incisors at
8-9 months. At about
1 year, the first primary molars appear, followed by primary
canines at
16 months. 2nd primary molars erupt at
2
years.
There may be a little variation in the
time of eruption of these teeth ; it usually doesn't signify any
abnormality in the eruption.
At around 6 years of age, the child's
lower first permanent molars erupt. Along with it the permanent
central incisors may also come in.
Variations
from these factors coupled with discrepancies in tooth and jaw
size and also heredity may be factors in producing certain types
of Malocclusion.
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Last updated on 10-11-2000
