When Will My Baby’s Teeth Come In?
As with most things with children (as you’ll soon learn), their teeth will start come in when they’re ready. The age your child is when their teeth first start to come in is not indicative of whether they’re developmentally behind or ahead. And when you’re up at 3AM with a fussy child who’s cutting his first tooth, you’ll wonder why you ever looked forward to this momentous event.
The average time baby teeth first appear between 5 and 7 months old. However, teeth could come in as early as one month or they might not reveal their toothy grin until 1.5 years olds. In some extreme cases, a child can even be born with teeth! This typically only happens in about 1 out of every 2,000 newborns, and these are often extra teeth that should be removed.
If teeth are very early or very late to appear, you should take your child to a doctor to make sure that it is not indicative of a more serious complication. Delayed eruption could be caused by a nutritional problem, such as rickets, or a systemic condition, such a hypopituitarism or hypothyroidism. If baby teeth appear very early, it could indicate a hormonal problem such as hyperthyroidism.
The following tables outline the normal ranges for teeth to erupt and to shed:
WHEN BABY TEETH FIRST APPEAR
| Upper | Lower | |
| Central incisors | 6-8 months | 5-7 months |
| Lateral incisors | 8-11 months | 7-10 months |
| Cuspids (canines) | 16-20 months | 16-20 months |
| First molars | 10-16 months | 10-16 months |
| Second molars | 20-30 months | 20-30 months |
WHEN BABY TEETH FALL OUT
| Upper | Lower | |
| Central incisors | 7-8 years | 6-7 years |
| Lateral incisors | 8-9 years | 7-8 years |
| Cuspids (canines) | 11-12 years | 9-11 years |
| First molars | 10-11 years | 10-12 years |
| Second molars | 10-12 years | 11-13 years |
WHEN PERMANENT TEETH FIRST APPEAR
| Upper | Lower | |
| Central incisors | 7-8 years | 6-7 years |
| Lateral incisors | 8-9 years | 7-8 years |
| Cuspids (canines) | 11-12 years | 9-11 years |
| First premolars (bicuspids) | 10-11 years | 10-12-years |
| Second premolars (bicuspids) | 10-12 years | 11-13 years |
| First molars | 6-7 years | 6-7 years |
| Second molars | 12-13 years | 12-13 years |
| Third molars (wisdom teeth) | 17-22 years | 17-22 years |
***A few facts about baby teeth:
- A general rule of thumb is that for every 6 months of life, approximately 4 teeth will erupt.
- Girls generally get their baby teeth before boys.
- Lower teeth usually come in before upper teeth.
- Teeth in both jaws usually erupt in pairs — one on the right and one on the left.
- Primary teeth are smaller in size and whiter in color than the permanent teeth that follow.
- By the time a child is 2 to 3 years old, all primary teeth should have come in.
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