Your child’s teething and tooth-loss timeline

Even before your baby was born, tooth buds were developing under his gums. Here’s when pearly whites tend to appear – and when baby teeth fall out to make way for permanent ones. Rest assured …

Your child’s teething and tooth-loss timeline

Even before your baby was born, tooth buds were developing under his gums. Here’s when pearly whites tend to appear – and when baby teeth fall out to make way for permanent ones.

Rest assured that this is a rough guideline. It’s perfectly normal for a baby’s first tooth to show up at 3 months – or a few months after his first birthday. (Some babies are even born with teeth!)

 

Baby

4 to 7 months Teething begins. Your baby’s gums may be swollen and red where the teeth are cutting through. The first teeth to erupt are usually the two middle ones on the bottom (lower central incisors).Fast fact: These two teeth usually arrive at about the same time.
8 to 12 months Upper middle teeth (the upper central incisors) emerge.Fast fact: Girls usually get their teeth before boys do.
9 to 16 months Top and bottom teeth right next to the middle teeth (lower lateral incisors) make their appearance.Fast fact: Teeth usually emerge in pairs – one on the right and one on the left.

 

Toddler

13 to 19 months The first molars come in on the bottom and the top at about the same time.Fast fact: Baby teeth, or primary teeth, are brighter white and smaller than permanent teeth.
16 to 23 months The sharp, pointed teeth called the canine or cuspid teeth emerge on the top and bottom.Red flag: If your baby doesn’t show any signs of a tooth by the time she’s 18 months old, mention it to her doctor. (But don’t panic: Some children don’t sprout a tooth until several months after their first birthday and still catch up without a problem.)
23 to 31 months The very back teeth, or second molars, work their way in on the bottom.

 

Preschooler

25 to 33 months The second molars on the top come in soon after those on the bottom.
3 years Your child has a full set of 20 primary teeth, also known as baby teeth.
4 years Jaw and facial bones grow, creating space between the primary teeth for your child’s permanent, adult teeth to come in.

 

Big Kid

6 to 12 years Your child starts losing his teeth. During these years, his grin is composed of both baby teeth and permanent teeth as one type replaces the other.They can fall out in any order, but your child may lose his baby teeth in the same order in which they arrived. The middle teeth are usually the first to go (at 6 to 7 years), followed by the ones on either side (at 7 to 8 years). The molars can be lost at any time after that, but will likely be gone between 9 and 12 years.
12 years Your child has a set of 28 permanent, adult teeth. (Her four wisdom teeth will make their debut when he’s 17 to 21 years old.)

 

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