Age 10 and Changing Molars and Canines: Premolar Order and Handling Loose Teeth

Between 9 and 12, eight baby molars become premolars and baby canines give way to permanent ones. The order, why not to yank loose teeth, and brushing tips.

Just when the front teeth are done and you can catch your breath, the back teeth and canines start to wiggle. Several can loosen at once, so you might wonder, "Is it okay to lose this many?" Here's how the teeth change over around age 10, and how to handle loose teeth.

How the molars and canines change over

Between ages 9 and 12, the teeth along the sides of the mouth change over one after another:

• The eight baby molars (two on each side, top and bottom) fall out, and premolars (small permanent molars) come in where they were.
• The baby canines fall out, and permanent canines come in. The lower canines come in at 9 to 10 and the upper ones at 11 to 12, so the top ones come later.

One thing is easy to mix up. The big molars that came in at the very back around age 6 were permanent from the start, so they don't fall out. The ones falling out now are the baby molars in front of them.

Baby teeth don't just fall out for no reason. As the permanent tooth moves up from below, the root of the baby tooth slowly dissolves. Once the root is almost gone, the tooth wiggles and then falls out on its own. So while a tooth is loose, your child may feel a little uncomfortable, but it usually resolves by itself.

At this age, with gaps and new teeth mixed together, chewing can be awkward for a while. If one side is uncomfortable, your child will chew on the other side, and that's fine for a while. Now and then, look in the mirror with your child to see where the new teeth are coming in. A new tooth usually comes up where the baby tooth fell out. If the baby tooth is still in place and a new tooth is squeezing in beside or behind it, have the dentist check. Timing and order vary from child to child, so being a little earlier or later than friends is usually normal.

Caring for loose teeth and new teeth

Here's how to handle a loose tooth:

1. Let your child wiggle it gently with the tongue or a freshly washed finger.
2. Brush loose teeth as usual too. If it hurts, brush that area more gently.
3. When the tooth comes out, have your child bite on clean gauze for a moment to stop the bleeding. Remind them not to keep poking the empty spot with the tongue or fingers.
4. If a tooth has been loose for weeks and makes eating uncomfortable, the dentist can remove it easily.

Pay a little attention to meals while a tooth is loose. Cut tough meat or hard foods into small pieces, and let your child chew on whichever side is comfortable. Foods you bite with the front teeth, like apples, are easier when sliced thin. It's also common for a loose tooth to come out while eating. That's a natural loss too, so it's fine.

There's a reason not to yank a tooth out. Pulling on a tooth whose root hasn't fully dissolved can tear the gum or leave a piece of root behind in the gum. Tying string around a tooth and attaching it to a doorknob used to be common, but tying string around a tooth or pulling it at home isn't recommended.

New premolars have deep grooves on the chewing surface. Food and plaque get trapped in these grooves easily, which makes cavities more likely. So hold the bristles upright against the chewing surface and brush carefully down into the grooves. While a new tooth is still shorter than the others, the brush has a hard time reaching it, so give that tooth an extra brushing on its own.

Kids this age often brush by themselves. Still, while many teeth are changing, take a look now and then to check together that the new teeth and the empty spots are clean.

Frequently asked questions

Have the dentist take a look when

• A permanent tooth is coming in beside or behind a baby tooth that hasn't fallen out
• A baby molar is still in place after age 13
• A loose tooth has been hanging on for weeks and makes eating uncomfortable
• Bleeding won't stop where a tooth came out, or the gums are swollen and sore

English ebook · Dentist Ingyoon An

A guide to the decisions behind dental care

Tooth Calendar follows dental care from pregnancy to eighteen in 78 chapters. Explore the reasons behind feeding, brushing, baby-tooth decay, sedation, and injury decisions—including what can be watched and when to seek help. Age-based contents and a topic index help you find the concern you have today.

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The information in this article is for general educational purposes and does not replace professional dental care. Talk to a dentist about your child's condition.

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