5 Unknown Difference Between Milk teeth and Permanent teeth
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Teeth are one of the essential parts of our body which help in chewing food and in digestion. We develop two sets of teeth in our lifetime: the primary or milk and the permanent teeth.
While both work as a purpose for chewing food, they are different regarding their physical appearance. They differ based on their size, shape and their number.
In this blog, we’ll explore the difference between milk and permanent teeth and their significance for maintaining good health. Read the blog up to the end to learn more.
What are primary teeth or milk teeth?
Primary teeth or milk teeth is a tooth which is the first step of teeth in a person’s life. They are also called milk teeth. These teeth are small in size and appear at an early stage. They start erupting within six months of age up to 5. As these teeth are temporary, they start falling at the age of 6 and will fall until the age of 12-13.
These teeth start erupting between the age of six and eight months old and will continue to erupt until they have a complete set of primary teeth at the age of three. These teeth are available only temporarily to make out way for the permanent teeth, which would start erupting around the age of six.
What are permanent teeth?

Permanent teeth refer to the teeth that erupt after the falling of the milk and the primary teeth. These are also known as adult teeth, the final set of teeth that humans develop. They start emerging at the age of 6 and continue up to teenage and also in later adulthood.
They are 32 in number, meaning the entire set of teeth in your upper and lower jaws. They have eight incisors, four canines, eight premolars, and twelve molars, including the wisdom tooth. These sets of teeth are more vital, larger, and more durable than milk teeth, which are designed to handle wear and tear after regular use.
These sets require more appropriate care as they are the last set of teeth. Only with proper care of milk teeth and permanent teeth can sustain for a lifetime.
Why are milk teeth necessary for the child’s development?
When the milk teeth are supposed to fall, what’s the necessity of these teeth in the child’s growth and development?
This is the question that bothers many people. So let’s find the answers to those here.
Here are a few needs of the milk teeth for a child’s development; Apart from chewing and digesting food, the milk teeth are also helpful in many other ways.
Speech development:
The milk teeth provide proper support for the teeth and the lips to develop speech among children. This is why we may notice that many toddlers with no teeth have slurred and broken speech while talking.
Nutrition:
At a young age, the child needs more proper nutrition, which helps them in their adult and old age. The milk or the primary teeth helps support adequate chewing of the food and extract maximum nutrition from the food.
Read also: Difference between Dental Implants and Dentures
Facial Development:
Facial development is one of the benefits of milk teeth. Milk teeth support your facial muscles and the jaw bones to develop soon. It helps your facial muscles to form a proper shape to establish a proper facial structure.
Oral hygiene:
One more fantastic advantage of milk teeth is that it helps cultivate proper oral hygiene among children from a young age. If the milk teeth are lost in the too early stages of your childhood, it can interrupt the development of the facial muscles.
Henceforth, milk teeth are necessary for your child’s facial development.
What is the difference between milk teeth and permanent teeth?
Here are a few differences between milk and permanent teeth; Read more.
Number of teeth:
In the case of the difference between milk teeth and permanent teeth, the milk teeth are twenty in number, whereas, in the case of the permanent teeth, they are thirty-two. Milk teeth erupt at the beginning of human development, whereas, in the case of permanent teeth, they erupt in later life.
Teeth size:
Size is the most noticeable difference between the milk and the permanent teeth. The milk teeth, also known as baby teeth, are minute and smaller in size; on the other hand, the permanent teeth are more significant and extensive.
Colour:
The colour is another significant difference between milk and permanent tooth. The milk teeth are whiteish when compared to the permanent tooth, whereas, on the other hand, the permanent tooth are yellowish.
Composition:
The composition of the milk and permanent tooth differ from that of the other. The milk teeth are made up of a thin enamel layer, whereas the permanent tooth have a thick enamel layer that prevents the attack of the cavities.
Pulp chambers:
Milk teeth have a large pulp chamber when compared to permanent teeth. Large chambers mean that the slightest trauma to the milk teeth results in nerve inflammation and subsequent tissues.
However, the differences between milk and permanent tooth vary, considering different factors. They differ in their physical aspects as well as their functions. Hence these are a few differences between milk teeth and permanent teeth.
I hope you find the blog on the difference between milk and permanent tooth helpful. Stay connected, and see you soon with the following blog.
Thank you for reading the blog till the end!