A permanent tooth at age 6: the tooth parents most often get wrong

A permanent tooth at age 6? Yes, you read that right. When a child is 5-6 years old, a new tooth quietly comes through at the very back of the mouth, behind the baby teeth. It does not replace any baby tooth, so parents often think it is a baby tooth. In fact it is the first permanent molar, the “six-year molar”.

Where parents most often go wrong

Thinking “it will be replaced anyway”, people do not pay enough attention to decay in this tooth. But the six-year molar is never replaced. If it decays and is lost, no new tooth will grow in its place.

Why it decays quickly

• The deep grooves on the surface of a newly erupted tooth easily trap food
• It sits at the very back of the mouth, so the child finds it hard to brush
• Until the tooth is fully through, part of it stays covered by gum
• The parent does not see it or thinks it is a baby tooth

What to do

• Reach the brush right to the back of the mouth and keep helping with brushing at this age
• Use fluoride toothpaste in the right amount for the age
• Come for a check-up as soon as you see the tooth coming through

If your child is 5-6 and you have seen a new tooth at the very back of their mouth, do not dismiss it as “just a baby tooth”. That tooth needs to stay with your child for many years.