Facts about Baby Teeth

 

Even though they will eventually fall out, baby teeth still play an important role in your child's overall health and development. That said, it's important to make sure you take good care of them! 

While you're at it, here are some facts about baby teeth you can really sink your teeth into:

• No two people have the same set of teeth. They are as unique as your fingerprint!
• Bones are NOT as strong as teeth. It’s true, tooth enamel - the outer most layer of the tooth - is the strongest substance in the human body.
• Unlike bones or other parts of the body - teeth cannot heal themselves. That’s why dental fillings and other work is necessary to protect them from further damage.
• Although you can’t seem them yet - they are there! Baby teeth, or milk teeth, start forming in the womb and start to come through when the child is between 6-12 months old.
• A baby’s bottom incisors (bottom front teeth) are usually the first to come through at around 5 to 7 months old.
• Baby teeth should be brushed as soon as they appear - use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste to brush your child’s teeth.
• Baby teeth are prone to decay just like adult or permanent teeth - that’s why we advise giving your child water in a bottle at bedtime. Exposure to any form of sugar (including milk!) while asleep can add to Early Childhood Decay.
• You can actually catch a cavity! Cavity-causing bacteria can be passed from person to person - either by sharing drinks, kissing a loved one, or when a parent tastes food to ensure it’s not too hot for the child. This bacteria can also be transmitted if a parent “cleans” off a pacifier by sucking on it before giving it back to their little one.
• In prehistoric times, kids likely did not suffer with tooth decay. Why? The American Dental Association says this is because sugar was not a regular part of their diet! 

For more information on children's oral health- give us a call! At Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental our purpose is to provide exceptional mental and dental care that can impact your child’s life forever. Our practice has been providing excellent pediatric dentistry to children of Long Island for over 14 years. We have three locations: Nesconset, Massapequa Park, and West Islip.

Tooth Fact Tuesday!

Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental and Orthodontics

www.adelbergpediatricdental.com 

How does a mouthful of chalk, ashes, honey-tobacco, lemon juice or charcoal sound? Probably not very appealing; yet if you were born prior to the invention of toothpaste, about a century ago, those were the substances you would have to use to clean your teeth!

Check out some other interesting teeth facts below:

• If you thought the 32 teeth humans have seem like a lot, certain species of dolphins can have up to 250 teeth in their mouths!
• Walt Disney had wooden teeth
• Each year the People’s Republic of China celebrate “Love your Teeth Day” on September 20th 
• In the Middle Ages, Germans often believed kissing a donkey would rid a toothache
• Another solution to rid pain? Ancient Chinese would wrap tiny parchment paper containing written incantations and prayers around teeth that hurt to relieve their pain
• Prior to the invention of a toothbrush, people scrubbed their teeth with their fingers, or leaves and twigs
• Americans spend $100 billion per year on hair care products – and only $2 billion a year on dental care products
• Odontophobia is the fear of teeth
• Prince Charles had his personal valet, Michael Fawcett, squeeze toothpaste onto his royal toothbrush
• Betsy Ross had a fully formed set of teeth when she was born

If you're looking for a pediatric dentist for your children, check us out on the web or on our Facebook page.