Why doesn’t an eight-year-old child have his teeth changed yet?

Tooth replacement is something that all children will experience around the age of 6. Tooth replacement refers to the process of deciduous teeth falling out and permanent teeth growing. As every child grows and develops, there is a developing permanent tooth germ behind the gums of the deciduous teeth. Before we know it, it is time for children to change their teeth, but many children have not yet done so, and their parents are very worried? So, what is the reason why an eight-year-old child has not yet changed his teeth?

How to take care of children when they change their teeth

Children usually start to lose their teeth around the age of 6. "Tooth replacement" is just a popular term among the people. In medicine, it is called "replacement of deciduous teeth."

The replacement of deciduous teeth is divided into two processes: one is "deciduous tooth shedding", that is, the deciduous teeth gradually loosen until they fall out. The second process is the "eruption of permanent teeth", that is, as the deciduous teeth fall out one by one, the permanent teeth will erupt one by one. The process of replacing the entire mouth of deciduous teeth takes about 6 years, which means that the entire tooth replacement process is completed when the child is about 12 years old. By the age of 12, all of a child's deciduous teeth should have fallen out and been replaced by permanent teeth. If a child is over 12 years old and still has deciduous teeth in his mouth, he should go to the hospital for treatment.

1. Eat more chewy foods when changing teeth

When children are about six or seven years old, permanent teeth begin to erupt and replace the original deciduous teeth. Although some children's permanent teeth have erupted, the deciduous teeth often refuse to "give way", forcing the permanent teeth to grow from the inside of the deciduous teeth, forming "double-layer teeth" and causing the permanent teeth to be unevenly arranged.

2. There are several things to pay attention to during tooth replacement:

1. Pay attention to the growth of your child’s deciduous teeth and permanent teeth, and see a dentist regularly to detect problems and solve them early. If parents find that permanent teeth have grown next to the deciduous teeth, but the deciduous teeth have not fallen out, forming a double row of teeth, parents should take their children to the hospital as soon as possible to remove the retained deciduous teeth. In addition, if the gap between the upper incisors is too large, deformed teeth grow from the upper incisors, or an incisor grows from an abnormal position, this means that there may be multiple teeth growing in one place, and you should go to the hospital for treatment.

2. Encourage your children to brush their teeth every day, once in the morning and once in the evening, to prevent tooth decay. Children should use children's special toothpaste and toothbrush to brush their teeth, and brush their teeth correctly, about two to three minutes. In addition to brushing teeth, it is best for children to rinse their mouths after each meal to maintain oral hygiene.

3. During the period of teeth replacement, children should eat more foods with high fiber content and a certain degree of hardness, such as beef, carrots, celery, corn, etc., to maintain stimulation to the deciduous teeth and promote the shedding of deciduous teeth on time. On the other hand, through chewing movements, the development of gums, jaws and facial bones can be promoted. Nowadays, the food we eat is too refined and we chew too little, which leads to insufficient development of the jaw. As a result, many children do not have enough space after their permanent teeth erupt, and the teeth are crowded and misaligned, affecting their appearance and function. In addition, let your children eat more solid foods, foods low in sucrose, and less snacks.

4. Correct children’s bad habits in time, such as sticking out the tongue, biting the tongue, biting fingers or pencils, licking teeth with the tongue, etc. These bad habits will affect the growth of children’s teeth and cause tooth deformation.

5. Pay special attention to protecting your child’s first permanent molar that grows out around the age of 6. Because the surface of newly erupted teeth is insufficiently calcified, they have poor acid resistance and are prone to decay. Within one year after the eruption of new permanent molars, parents should take their children to the hospital for pit and fissure sealing to prevent them from being decayed. Pit and fissure sealing is the most economical and effective method to prevent dental caries.

6. Take good care of your children and try to prevent tooth loss due to trauma. When a child's tooth falls out due to trauma, in order to find the lost tooth back, if the tooth surface is dirty, immediately rinse off the dirt with clean water, put it in milk or water, and go to the hospital as soon as possible. The lost tooth can be replanted and fixed.

Because they are children, parents should be more careful. During the period of children's tooth replacement, it is important to pay attention to the adjustment of their diet. Eating inappropriate food can easily cause children's teeth to become uneven and loose. Children are prone to develop resistance during this period. Parents should not be more anxious or beat or scold their children. Instead, they should treat their children more gently to avoid leaving a shadow in their children's memories.