Baby

A space to give you hints about what is happening in the pregnancy and birth world, it’s common problems, and how to solve them

HomeBabyDo Baby Teeth Have Roots?

Do Baby Teeth Have Roots?

In This Section

Your baby’s smile is priceless. Moreover, there is no greater joy for a parent than seeing your baby happy. Every time you see your baby’s smile you can’t help but notice their growing teeth. Then, you may wonder, “Do baby teeth have roots?” Milk teeth are meant to fall off later in your baby’s life to make way for permanent teeth. Let’s find out more about baby teeth in this article.

What Are Baby Teeth Made Of?

Just like any other teeth, deciduous teeth or baby teeth are also made of enamel, dentin, pulp, cementum, and periodontal ligament. This provides the teeth the strength and sensation to allow babies to chew their food. Moreover, baby teeth are also attached to the gums and bone.

 

Enamel is very hard since it is made of calcium phosphate. Moreover, calcium and phosphorus are usually obtained from dietary sources of the baby which includes food and breast or formula milk. These nutrients are essential for the healthy growth of your baby’s teeth, so a proper diet and choosing the right type of milk are important for your baby.

Types of Baby Teeth

Deciduous teeth also have various types which are similar to that of adults. However, milk teeth are just a lot smaller than permanent teeth. Nevertheless, these types of teeth play various roles in helping your baby chew food as he or she grows. These are the types of baby teeth:

  • Incisors – Type of teeth responsible for cutting food that babies bit into.
  • Canine teeth – The teeth found at the end of each side of incisors are also called cuspids or eyeteeth.
  • Premolars – Behind the canine teeth are the premolars that are also known as bicuspids. These teeth are responsible for mashing food.
  • Molars – The last set of teeth that lie behind the premolars. This set of teeth is slightly larger and has more grooves for chewing.

Do Baby Teeth Have Roots

Normally, twenty baby teeth will emerge. Moreover, these teeth begin to develop prior to birth and often fully emerge when your child reaches approximately 5 or 6 years old. However, in rare cases, not all deciduous teeth emerge or not all of the deciduous teeth fall off.

Do Baby Teeth Have Roots?

Yes, just like any other teeth, deciduous teeth also have a root structure. However, in baby teeth, the root structure is a lot smaller than that of adult teeth. Once you obtain a fallen milk tooth, you are probably unable to find its roots, no matter how hard you look. This is because the roots of the milk teeth are so small that it only gets reabsorbed by your baby’s gums.

Since you don’t find any roots in a fallen milk tooth, you might immediately assume that baby teeth do not have roots. However, the roots are just so small and it doesn’t fall off together with the tooth since it has already been absorbed by your baby’s gums. Furthermore, the root of a milk tooth gets absorbed even before the tooth falls off.

Baby teeth clearly have roots. However, once deciduous teeth have served their purpose, they would then fall off to prevent tooth impactions and “double parking” of teeth. Moreover, baby teeth have to make way for a stronger set of permanent teeth. Baby teeth and permanent teeth have three main differences namely the color, size, and number.

Do Babies Sleep More When Teething

Why Do Milk Teeth Fall Off?

Baby teeth fall off because their roots get reabsorbed by the body through the gums. This is because their place is needed for the growth of the second set of teeth which are the permanent teeth. Permanent teeth are the right set of teeth for the age of your child when the milk teeth begin to fall off. Moreover, baby teeth have to fall off to allow the permanent teeth to align properly as it grows.

When Do Deciduous Teeth Begin to Emerge?

Baby teeth begin to develop even while the baby is still in the womb. However, milk teeth usually begin to emerge when a baby is about 6 months old. But, it has been recorded that some babies’ teeth began to erupt as early as 3 months of age.

It is expected that all of the twenty milk teeth have erupted by around 33 months of age. However, some teeth may grow sooner or later than others. As long as it is not impacted or the gums aren’t inflamed, then your baby’s teeth are just growing normally. Babies are unique; therefore even the emergence of their teeth may vary.

As long as teeth are growing properly, all you have to do is provide the right nutrition to support the development of your baby.

crib for twins

When Do Milk Teeth Begin To Fall Off?

Usually, baby teeth begin to fall off at the age of about 5 or 6 years old. However, it may be a bit sooner or later for some kids. When the initial shedding of milk teeth happens, the rest of the milk teeth soon follow and all of the milk teeth may have fallen off when a child is about 10-12 years of age. But, simultaneously with some milk teeth falling off, some permanent teeth are also beginning to erupt if they are not impacted and are emerging normally.

Conclusion

Do baby teeth have roots? Yes! Baby teeth also have roots, but you won’t be able to see them when your baby’s teeth fall off. The emergence and shedding of teeth is a normal process that is not a cause for concern as long as a tooth is not impacted or the gums aren’t inflamed. Baby teeth and adult teeth aren’t very much different when it comes to tooth structure.

Most popular