Some people discard baby teeth, while others hold onto them. For those of you who are thinking of keeping your child's baby teeth after they have fallen off, you can clean them well and put them in keepsake boxes, turn them into jewelry pieces, or save them for your child's future science projects.
A recent survey of 330 adults (18 to 64) suggests that almost 2/3rds of parents preferred to save their child's baby teeth, with about 1/4th of parents preferring to throw them away. When asked why they had these preferences, most parents who preserved their child's teeth did it to maintain family traditions.
Ideas For Saving Your Child's Baby Teeth
Buy or use a nice box around the house that you can store the teeth in a safe place. Some online websites make memory boxes specifically designed to save an store kids teeth, with a specific inserts for each tooth from your child. Baby books are a great place to store memories.
“They are a rich source of stem cells which can be used to grow replacement tissue if your child needs it for any reason.” These stem cells have been to shown to regenerate neurons, cartilage, bones and even some cardiac cells, which can be valuable in repairing damaged heart tissue.
Baby teeth, like umbilical cords (though less controversial), contain stem cells that can cure diseases and grow replacement tissue and bones in the body. If collected and stored, they can potentially be used to treat diseases that arise when your child gets older or for close family members with serious illness.
Some adults retain one or more baby teeth, known as retained deciduous teeth. Around 25% of people have baby teeth for longer than the expected age for losing them. Baby teeth in an adult can last for many years.
We look at how many they have lost and what teeth still must come in. Your child might lose teeth at a slower pace, and this usually is not cause for concern. However, as children reach age 12 and older, we might consider removing baby teeth when planning orthodontic treatment.
Not all retained baby teeth cause dental complications. Depending on which tooth does not fall out, some patients can live out the rest of their lives without any issues. Whenever the adult baby tooth isn't aligned well with the other teeth, however, it can be much more difficult to clean and cavities can develop.
Periodontal bone loss (loss of bone around the teeth), root resorption of the baby teeth (their roots begin to deteriorate), and cavities are other potential problems. The issues that can come with over-retained baby teeth emphasize the need for regular, routine dental care.
Some diligently save every tooth in a special box, while others take a more relaxed approach. A 2020 survey in Dentistry Today indicated that most parents–almost 60 percent– keep their children's teeth. Around 20 percent got rid of them– simply throwing them away or burying them in a house plant or the backyard.
Most children lose their last baby tooth around the age of 12. All non-wisdom teeth are typically in place around your child's 13th birthday. Wisdom teeth may wait until age 21 to make their presence known.
Adult Teeth. After a child's baby teeth fall out, their bodies will grow stronger, bigger and more permanent teeth. Your child will lose 20 baby teeth but grow 32 adult teeth called succedaneous, or replacement, teeth.
Some save them, some throw them away, some make a craft project or a keepsake from them. Recent research is even exploring the possibility of having parents store their children's baby teeth to preserve mesenchymal stem cell content in the event the child develops cancer or certain other illnesses in their future.
In Greece, when children lose their teeth is customary for them to make a wish for strong adult teeth. When they make their wish, they throw their lost tooth onto the roof, which is said to bring good luck.
Why Do Children Lose Baby Teeth? Baby teeth are basically “placeholders” for adult, or permanent teeth. Around the age of four, the bones in your child's jaw begin to grow. You may see spaces develop between your child's teeth, which are necessary to make room for the larger permanent teeth.
Famous Teeth
Joyce Walen of the U.S. still had a baby tooth when she was 87 years old, making her the owner of the oldest baby tooth. The longest human tooth extracted measured at 1.26 inches when it was removed from the mouth of Loo Hui Jing in Singapore.
Usually, when an adult has retained baby teeth, it's because they don't have permanent teeth to fill the space in their mouth. There are several conditions that affect the development of teeth: Hyperdontia, or extra teeth, means you don't have enough room to accommodate permanent teeth.
Seeing an Orthodontist is vital if your child still has baby teeth at the age of 13. They can then assess the situation and find out what the reason is for the dental challenge. In some instances, no action might be the case. But that can't be known for certain until an Orthodontic Specialist takes a closer look.
How to preserve a tooth at home. Teeth don't generally deteriorate much over time, though they will likely lose a little of their shine. If the tooth is not fully dry, however, mold and bacteria can grow on it. To prevent this, simply swipe the tooth with rubbing alcohol and air dry it in a sunny, clean place.
23% of participants find throwing away to be a more appropriate way to deal with milk teeth. While some recommend tossing them in the garbage, others think they should be disposed of according to a ritual or buried.
Tooth Burial: Also in Europe, children used to bury their lost baby teeth in the garden. This was done so new teeth would grow just like the plants did in the garden.
Simply put, the roots are dissolved by the crown of the succeeding permanent teeth. This dissolution, otherwise known as exfoliation, is what causes the baby teeth to get loose and eventually fall off.
In most cases, the bottom of the adult tooth will come in direct contact with the root of the baby tooth. The new adult tooth then dissolves the roots of the baby tooth below. As the root becomes fragile, the tooth will begin to wiggle. When the root dissolves completely, the tooth falls out.