During our life we have two sets of teeth. As child we have milk teeth or baby teeth and the permanent teeth, the set we get after we lose the baby teeth.
Children can get their first teeth as soon as 3 months old and even at 1 year old. In total an infant has 20 milk teeth: 8 incisors, 4 canines, 4 premolar and 4 molars.
Accordingly with the experts most kids start shedding their milk teeth around 5,6-year-old and can last until the age of 14. Baby teeth are replaced with permanent set of teeth.
An adult has a full set of 32 teeth. On the other hand, if they get wisdom teeth extractions the number can drop to 28. However not everyone gets the 3rd molars, so they full set will be 28 teeth.
The Function of teeth
Incisors
Are the four middle front teeth for the upper and lower jaw. Their main purpose is to cut a tear. Therefore, they are usually used to cut small portions.
Canines
Commonly known as fangs since they have sharp endings. Their function is to tear things apart.
Premolars
These are the transitional teeth. To explain these teeth imagine them has the transition between the tearing teeth and the grinding teeth, which are the molars. By all means, premolars are incisors and canines hybrid.
Molars
The largest of them all. Molars have a big surface to chew, crush and grind.
Wisdom teeth
Accordingly, to history, wisdom teeth are call this way because they appear when the person has reached a mature age. Most of the times wisdom teeth don’t come through properly. Therefore, your dentist might suggest the extraction of them.
At Advanced Smiles Dentistry in Tijuana, we know how important is to keep your teeth healthy. As experts in dentistry, we strongly advise you to schedule your dental appointment to know your oral health status.
