Primary teeth, also known as baby, deciduous (from the Latin deciduus or decidere, meaning to “fall down or off”), temporary, or milk (for their milk-white color) teeth serve many of the same purposes as permanent teeth. They are needed for chewing and they are necessary for speech development. They also prepare the mouth for the permanent teeth by maintaining space for the permanent teeth to emerge in proper alignment. Each individual has 20 primary teeth followed by 32 permanent teeth.