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Fun Facts About Teeth
Compiled by Deborah Ho

Do you know that everyone is given two sets of teeth?

You begin with milk teeth. A more grown-up way to call it is “primary teeth”. They start to show up when you are six or seven months old. Everyone gets milk teeth at different times. You will have 20 milk teeth.

When you are five or six years old, your milk teeth will start falling out one by one. Sometimes, they may wobble two at a time and fall out together.

When you lose your milk teeth, a new set will start coming in. By about 14 years old, you should have lost all your milk teeth and have your full set of 28 permanent teeth.

Around 20 years old, you will have 32 teeth. The four additional teeth you grow are called wisdom teeth. Now you have a complete set of adult teeth.

There are four types of teeth:

• Canines are pointy and sharp. They tear up food.

• Incisors are shaped like tiny chisels with flat ends that are somewhat sharp. They cut and chop food.

• Premolars have ridges, and are bigger and stronger than the canine and incisors. They grind and crush food.

• Molars are the toughest of the bunch. They are strong and wide. They grind food.

Caring for Teeth

Teeth are small and very precious.

They must be brushed after every meal to remove all the stuff stuck in between your teeth. If you don’t have a tooth brush, just floss or gargle. If you keep the sugary stuff on your teeth, your teeth will decay.

Do not bite on hard stuff such as plastic bags, spoon, forks or corn kernels (especially when your tooth is wobbly).

Visit the dentist twice a year. The dentist will check for cavities and give your teeth a good cleaning.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and drink water instead of sweet drinks.

Oh, and don’t forget to smile!

Deborah's Tooth Diary

26 November 2004	Dr Lee (my dentist) applied sealant to protect my four adult molars.
25 December 2005	Mummy noticed a new tooth growing behind my milk tooth. The new incisor at the bottom has some ridges. Dr Lee says there is no need to extract it. I have a perfect set of milk teeth. I am waiting for them to fall out.
11 January 2005	On 11 January 2005, when I was eating my corn, I accidentally bit too hard. My tooth became wobbly. At recess time at school, my tooth fell out! I was about to bite the last bit of my bread when I noticed something in my mouth. It was my tooth!
2 May 2005	When I was at Aunty Stephanie’s house, she gave me a piece of ice that was in the shape of a stick. I was just sucking it when my tooth fell out.
21 June 2005	I was telling mummy about my sleepover at Aunty Mary’s house when I noticed something in my mouth. It was my tooth!
1 July 2005	I was lining up for my ear check at school when my tooth was very wobbly. Each time I wobbled it, it felt like it had fallen out. I kept wobbling it and it fell out.
7 October 2005	On 6 October, I was trying to sleep but could not sleep. When I lay back,my tooth did the same too. So I went to mummy's room and said "Mummy, when I lie back, my tooth does the same. I am afraid that i will swallow it if it falls out." Mummy said "Never mind, just sit here". At the same time, she was thinking "Sitting up, how to sleep?" Then she said "Never mind, you will not swallow it". That night, I slept in her room. Today, I was chatting with my friends at recess time when my tooth fell out. It was the bottom right incisor.
12 October 2005	My bottom left incisor was very wobbly today. When I was brushing my teeth, it fell out.
17 September 2006	I was eating at Delifrance (Sentosa) when my tooth fell out. It was the canine on the right.
19 September 2006	The canine on the left was very wobbly. I was in school and halfway through my work when it fell out.

Information Source: KidsHealth.org