Question

What is the difference between Milk teeth and Permanent teeth?

Answer 1

The crown, which is above the gum line, and the root, which is below the gum line, are the two parts of a tooth. The tooth is protected by the crown, which is made of white enamel. Enamel is the body's toughest material, yet it has an extremely limited ability to heal itself if it is broken. Two sets of teeth are found in humans – the milk teeth also called primary teeth and the permanent teeth.

Complete answer:
In human’s teeth erupt after $6$ months of birth which shed at an age of six years when another set of teeth starts erupting. The first set is called the primary or the milk teeth while the second set which appears at the age of $6$ years is called the permanent teeth. Both the types of teeth show significant differences from each other as follows:
1. Primary teeth are $20$ in number while permanent teeth are $32$ in number.
2. Primary teeth set contain $4$ incisors, $2$ canines and $4$ molars in each jaw while permanent teeth contain $4$ incisors, $2$ canines, $4$ premolars and $6$ molars in each jaw.
3. Primary teeth have thinner enamel as compared to the permanent teeth hence the former appear more whiter.
4. Primary teeth have more pointed cusps and bulbous crowns as compared to permanent teeth.
5. The roots of primary teeth are smaller as compared to the roots of permanent teeth.
6. Primary teeth are smaller in dimensions as compared to permanent teeth.

Note:
Enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp tissue make up a tooth. The dental crown is the part of a tooth that is visible to the oral cavity, while the tooth root is the part underneath the dental crown. The dental pulp cavity is located in the middle of the tooth and houses the dental pulp, also known as the nerve. The surface of the tooth root area (cementum) and the alveolar bone are linked by a fibrous tissue called the periodontal ligament to receive an impact on the tooth and to absorb and alleviate the stress on the jaw.