boy smiling with baby teeth

Facts About Baby Teeth

September 6, 2019

Baby teeth are special teeth that we all start out with.

Since when we’re little, our skulls are too small to accommodate adult-sized teeth, baby teeth allow us to eat and speak until we grow into adults.

Sometimes, our patients and their parents ask us about their baby teeth. When will they fall out? When, exactly, can they expect their adult teeth to grow in? Keep reading for answers to those questions and more!

How Old Are Children When Their Baby Teeth Fall Out?

tooth fairy collecting a toothBaby teeth usually grow in at around 6-months of age. Then, when children are about 6 years old, their baby teeth start to fall out. Most children are finished losing teeth by the time they’re 13 years old.

In most cases, teeth grow in and fall out in a predictable order, which we’ve outlined below:

Lower Jaw

  1. Central Incisors: Erupt at 6-10 months, fall out at 6-7 years
  2. Lateral Incisors: Erupt at 10-16 months, fall out at 7-8 years
  3. First Molars: Erupt at 14-18 months, fall out at 9-11 years
  4. Canines: Erupt at 17-23 months, fall out at 9-12 years
  5. Second Molars: Erupt at 23-31 months, fall out at 10-12 years

Upper Jaw

  1. Central Incisors: Erupt at 8-12 months, fall out at 6-7 years
  2. Lateral Incisors: Erupt at 9-13 months, fall out at 7-8 years
  3. First Molars: Erupt at 13-19 months, fall out at 7-8 years
  4. Canines: Erupt at 16-22 months, fall out at 10-12 years
  5. Second Molars: Erupt at 25-33 months, fall out at 10-12 years

Adult teeth typically grow in soon after their corresponding baby teeth fall out. This process usually happens between the ages of 6-13, except for wisdom teeth, which typically erupt between the ages of 17-21.

Fast Facts About Baby Teeth

  • Baby teeth help reserve space for adult teeth once they grow in.
  • Adults have 32 teeth, or 28 if they have their wisdom teeth removed.
  • We start out with 20 baby teeth, which typically arrive within the first 3 years of life.
  • Parents should start cleaning their baby’s mouth within the first 5 weeks. Before their teeth erupt, wipe their gums with a moist washcloth or gauze.
  • Baby teeth are crucial to your child’s speech development.
  • Permanent teeth are much larger than baby teeth, which is why baby teeth look like they have a lot of space between them.
  • Children are born with all the teeth they’ll have. Their adult teeth are just hiding beneath their gums, right under their baby teeth.
  • Before a baby tooth falls out, the roots dissolve. That’s why, when your child’s tooth falls out, you only see the crown, not the root.
  • Top teeth usually erupt 1-2 months after the corresponding lower teeth.
  • Girls’ teeth tend to erupt before the boys’.
  • Baby teeth go by these names as well: milk teeth, primary teeth, and deciduous teeth.