It’s been forever that dental researchers have been trying to figure out a way to regrow an entire missing tooth.…
Teeth are not quite as unique as snowflakes, however, they do vary in size, shape and location in the jaw. These differences in the teeth are what give our face shape and form and how we chew, speak or smile. Did you know that we are born with 20 baby teeth (a/k/a “primary teeth”) that will begin to “erupt” or break through at about 6 months, and, by age 12, all 32 of our permanent teeth have usually erupted?
A Child’s Smile
There are many gap-toothed photos of you in your parents’ family albums. Face it, all of a sudden your “cuteness quotient” goes down substantially when you begin losing those baby teeth. The first teeth to go are the lower center teeth (a/k/a the lower center incisors) at approximately 6 to 7 years old. Next are the top center pair. It’s scary looking when you resemble a Halloween pumpkin, but, at least the Tooth Fairy helps make this time bearable. Happily, a baby tooth typically doesn’t loosen until the permanent tooth below pushes it up to take its place.
When Do Teeth Start to Age?
The older you get, the more you realize that the meals you had growing up were maybe not so bad after all.
While Mom may not have had the resources about nutrition that are available to you today, especially via the internet, she really did know her stuff when you think about it. So, where did Mom learn about the types of foods that make up the food pyramid – perhaps in her home economics class? If you look back on meals when you were a youngster versus the suggested food groups to include in your daily diet, you might just concede that Mom was a smarter cookie than you ever gave her credit for.
For example, she filled your tummy with nutritious food, based on the five recommended food groups, a chart which really has not varied much through the years, and which guidelines are currently found at www.choosemyplate.gov and are listed below:
- Vegetables (including legumes/beans);
- Fruits (all fruits and juices);
- Grains (mostly wholegrain and/or high-fiber cereal and bread);
- Protein (lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts/seeds and legumes/beans); and
- Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese and/or alternatives, mostly reduced fat).
Indeed you are what you eat, and a diet consisting of these foods will give you the nutrition needed to stay healthy from youth to old age.