Teething can be a little confusing for us as our children grow up, especially at age 6. At this age, the teeth erupt. permanent first molarsThe molars are located just behind the last deciduous molars. There are four molars, two upper and two lower, which appear at the back ends of the dental arches. permanentThey will last a lifetime if we take good care of them.
Most often parents, and even some children, are unaware of their eruption, as no milk teeth have to fall out for these permanent molars to erupt. And this is exactly where the problem arises, as they don't know that they are there, they normally don't get to pass the toothbrush that far back, or if there is a piece of gum covering the tooth and it bothers them a little, they will try not to touch it.
What should be done is exactly the opposite. That little piece of gum is called the operculum, and we should brush it slowly, removing it little by little, thus cleaning any food that has been retained. In addition, these molars come out slowly, so they remain at a lower level, and accumulate more bacterial plaque until they erupt completely.
It is important to keep an eye on these teeth when brushing them and to attend dental check-ups for the following reasons:
- - They have deep, retentive grooves, where they can appear caries by the retention of food and bacterial plaque. To avoid this, it is recommended to perform sealants as soon as they erupt: it is a resin that occupies the fissure space and releases fluoride, reducing the appearance of caries.
- - These first molars will establish the definitive bite when they are in occlusion. If any malocclusionIf the patient has a bad bite, or a defective bite, corrective orthopaedic treatment should be started as soon as possible.
- - They can biting in the jugal cheek, since while they erupt, there is an intermediate space between the upper and lower teeth where the cheek is introduced, when chewing it becomes trapped and a white or reddish sore may appear.
- - Pericoronaritisexceptionally, the introduction of food and bacteria into the gum can cause inflammation and infection, so in this case it would cause pain and your dentist will prescribe anti-inflammatories or antibiotics depending on the case.
- - MIH (MOLAR INCISOR HYPOMINERALISATION): lately, more and more children are appearing with this enamel anomaly, and their first molars appear to be unfinished, making them extremely susceptible to the formation of caries. Early detection to cover and protect these molars is essential. Early detection to cover and protect these teeth is essential. When do we know that we are dealing with this syndrome? When the molars erupt with spots of a different colour, whether opaque white, yellow or brown. In addition, the tooth will look porous and will be very sensitive.
You can find more information on this subject in the article "What is Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation". of this blog.
Interestingly, a few years later, around the age of 12, the same thing will happen again with the eruption of the 2nd permanent molar. Many people confuse this with wisdom teeth, but these will not appear until the age of 17-21.