The key difference between deciduous and permanent teeth is that deciduous teeth are the temporary teeth that develop at birth and fall off at the age of 5 -6 years, while permanent teeth develop at the age of 5-6 years and remain permanent throughout life.
Teeth are the hardest and strongest substance in the human body. Apart from the function of chewing, teeth play an important role in speech. Parts of teeth include the enamel, dentine, pulp, and cementum. Enamel is the hard and external white portion of the tooth while dentine is a layer underneath the enamel. The pulp is the soft inner structure of the teeth that consists of blood vessels and nerves. The cementum is a layer of connective tissue that binds the tooth root to the gums and jawbone. The teeth development takes place in two stages and is categorized as deciduous teeth and permanent teeth.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Deciduous Teeth
3. What is Permanent Teeth
4. Similarities – Deciduous and Permanent Teeth
5. Deciduous vs Permanent Teeth in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Deciduous vs Permanent Teeth
What are Deciduous Teeth?
Deciduous teeth, which are also known as primary or milk teeth, are the very first sets of teeth in the growth and development of humans and most mammals. Deciduous teeth develop during the embryonic stage and infancy. Later, they are replaced by permanent teeth. Deciduous teeth start developing in the sixth week of tooth development in the embryo. Usually, it initiates at the midline and spreads back to the posterior region. In the eighth week of the embryo, there are ten teeth buds on the upper and lower arches that develop to become deciduous teeth. These teeth consist of central incisors, lateral incisors, canines, and first and second molars. There is one in each quadrant, making four of each tooth. Later, first and second molars are replaced with premolars of permanent teeth.
Figure 01: Deciduous Teeth
Deciduous teeth are essential for the development of the mouth. They maintain an arch length within the jaw; bone and permanent teeth replacements develop from the same germ layer as the deciduous teeth. They also provide guidance for the tooth eruption pathway when permanent teeth form. In addition, they aid in speech, smiling, and chewing food from childhood. However, dental caries, which is also known as tooth decay, is one of the most common diseases among children. It is an oral condition that involves bacterial infections destructing tooth tissues. Extensive tooth decay is very common among deciduous teeth.
What are Permanent Teeth?
Permanent teeth are also known as adult teeth, and they are the second set of teeth formed in humans and most mammals. There are thirty-two permanent teeth in an adult, consisting of six maxillary and six mandibular molars, four maxillary and four mandibular premolars, two maxillary, two mandibular canines, and four maxillary and four mandibular incisors.
Figure 02: Permanent Teeth
The first permanent tooth usually appears at the age of around six years, when the mouth will be in a transition state with both deciduous and permanent teeth. The first permanent teeth to erupt are the first molars, which are behind the last molars of the primary dentition. These first permanent molars are important in the correct development of the permanent dentition. The four last permanent teeth usually appear between the ages of seventeen and thirty-eight years and are known as wisdom teeth. There are instances where extra teeth are present and such instances are called hyperdontia. These teeth erupt into the mouth or remain attached to the bone. The main functions of adult teeth are to engage in the mechanical digestion process and to aid in speech.
What are the Similarities Between Deciduous and Permanent Teeth?
- Deciduous and permanent teeth are developed in the mouth.
- The structure consists of enamel, dentine, crown, root, and pulp.
- Moreover, both sets of teeth contain incisors, canines, and molars.
- Deciduous and permanent teeth aid in chewing, mechanical digestion, as well as, in speech.
- The teeth are distributed in the upper and lower jaws.
What is the Difference Between Deciduous and Permanent Teeth?
Deciduous teeth are the temporary teeth that develop at birth and fall off at the age of 5 -6 years, while permanent teeth develop at the age of 5-6 years and remain permanent throughout the lifetime. Thus, this is the key difference between deciduous and permanent teeth. Deciduous teeth appear in a lighter color, while permanent teeth are much darker in color. The number of deciduous teeth is 20, but the number of permanent teeth is 32.
The below infographic presents the differences between deciduous and permanent teeth in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Deciduous vs Permanent Teeth
Teeth are the hardest and strongest substance in the human body and play an important role in chewing and in speech. The teeth development takes place in two stages and is categorized as deciduous teeth and permanent teeth. Deciduous teeth are the temporary teeth that develop at birth and fall off at the age of 5 -6 years, while permanent teeth develop at the age of 5-6 years and remain permanent throughout the lifetime. Deciduous teeth start developing during embryonic development and become visible at six months, and 20 teeth are present in total. Permanent teeth start to develop at the age of six years and consist of 32 teeth in total. So, this summarizes the difference between deciduous and permanent teeth.
Reference:
1. Frothingham, Scott. “Deciduous Teeth – Also Known as Primary or Baby Teeth.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 5 Dec. 2018.
2. Mandal, Dr. Ananya. “What Are Permanent Teeth?” News, 28 June 2019.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Deciduous teeth names” By Gregory david baker – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Permanent teeth names” By Gregory david baker – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia