Deciduous teeth

"Baby teeth" redirects here. For other uses, see Baby teeth (disambiguation).
"Milk teeth" redirects here. For the musical ensemble, see Milk Teeth (band).
This article is primarily about deciduous teeth, but some or much of the information is also applicable to other diphyodonts including most mammals.
Deciduous teeth
Cross-section of upper and lower jaws with permanent teeth located above and below the deciduous teeth prior to their exfoliation. The deciduous mandibular central incisors have already been exfoliated.
Details
Identifiers
Latindentes decidui
MeSHD014094
TA98A05.1.03.076
TA2912
FMA75151
Anatomical terminology

Deciduous teeth or primary teeth, also informally known as baby teeth, milk teeth, or temporary teeth,[1] are the first set of teeth in the growth and development of humans and other diphyodonts, which include most mammals but not elephants, kangaroos, or manatees, which are polyphyodonts. Deciduous teeth develop during the embryonic stage of development and erupt (break through the gums and become visible in the mouth) during infancy. They are usually lost and replaced by permanent teeth, but in the absence of their permanent replacements, they can remain functional for many years into adulthood.

  1. ^ Illustrated Dental Embryology, Histology, and Anatomy, Bath-Balogh and Fehrenbach, Elsevier, 2011, page 255