If you have a dental problem you should, in the first instance always phone the dental practice that you normally attend.
If you are not registered with any dental practice then your nearest dental practice will still be able to help.
Healthy teeth are really important for overall health. They help you to:
You have different types of teeth throughout your life.
Milk teeth are the first teeth babies get. These teeth start developing before a baby is born and will normally start to come through when an infant is between 6 and 12 months old.
By the time a child reaches 3 years they can expect to have a full set of 20 milk teeth. They’ll keep this set for another few years. Keeping these teeth healthy and clean will help them to eat, talk and avoid problems when the adult teeth grow in.
When a child reaches between 5 and 6 years, their milk teeth should start to gradually fall out with adult teeth growing in shortly after.
Read more about caring for your baby’s first teeth and teething
People can expect that between the ages of 12 and 14 a child will have lost all of their baby teeth. These will have been replaced by a full set of adult teeth.
A full set of adult teeth will amount to 32 teeth in total. This includes the wisdom teeth, which grow in at the back of the mouth. These normally grow in much later and can be expected between 17 and 21 years. For some people wisdom teeth don’t grow in at all. Your dentist will be able to offer advice on wisdom teeth and may be able to advise you, through X-rays, on the progress of your wisdom teeth.
On occasion some people have problems when their wisdom teeth start to come through. This can be down to positioning, space in the mouth or the direction they are growing in. Problems with the wisdom teeth can lead to pain and more serious problems and on occasion they will have to be removed.
Removal of wisdom teeth will depend on the positioning in the mouth. Sometimes removal can take place in your usual dental practice with only local anaesthetic, however some people may need to have them removed in hospital under general anaesthetic.
There are different types of teeth:
Molars grow in at the back of your mouth and a full set of adult teeth should have 8 in total with 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom jaw. These teeth are your strongest and we rely on these teeth to grind our food so it’s safe to swallow.
There are different parts of teeth:
Last updated:
26 May 2023