For Kids - About Your Teeth

The first teeth you got were your baby teeth -- 20 in all, 10 on the top and 10 on the bottom. Baby teeth help you to talk and chew. But they also "save space" in your mouth so that there is room for your permanent teeth.

When all your permanent teeth have come in, you'll have 32 teeth all together. There will be 16 on the top, and 16 on the bottom. Out of these 32 teeth, 20 replace baby teeth, and the other 12 are new, permanent molars.

Your molars are the hardworking, larger teeth in the back that do most of your chewing! The first set you'll get are 6-year-molars (guess when you get them!) -- two on the bottom, two on the top. Then, the second molars are your 12-year-molars. The last ones -- your third molars --are also called your wisdom teeth.

And, while we're talking about teeth, have you heard about . . . FUZZY TEETH?

Everyone has plaque bacteria in their mouth. It's always there. But when you eat, the sugars and starches you eat mix with the plaque bacteria -- and it GROWS.

Sometimes you can even feel it when you run your tongue along your teeth. Try it! Do your teeth feel smooth -- or "fuzzy"? If they are "fuzzy," you need to brush them as soon as you can!

The best way to see your teeth is to get a mirror -- and open wide!

And think about this: What do you see when you look at your teeth? Do you still have some (or all) of your baby teeth? How many teeth do you have all together? Do you have baby teeth or permanent teeth? Maybe you have a combination.