When Do Baby Teeth Come In? Tooth Eruption Timeline and Teething Tips

Watching your child's first tooth appear, and later watching baby teeth fall out, are big milestones. Here is what to expect and how to keep your child comfortable along the way.

A general tooth eruption timeline

• Around 6 months: the first baby teeth, usually the lower front teeth, begin to appear.

• By about age 3: most children have all 20 baby teeth.

• Around age 6: the first permanent molars and lower front teeth arrive, and baby teeth start to loosen.

• Ages 6 to 12: baby teeth are gradually replaced by permanent teeth.

• Late teens to early twenties: wisdom teeth may appear.

Every child is different, and a few months early or late is usually normal.

Common teething symptoms

Teething can bring drooling, fussiness, chewing on objects and tender, swollen gums. Teething is not believed to cause a high fever or serious illness, so check with your pediatrician if your baby has one.

Safe ways to soothe a teething baby

• Gently rub your baby's gums with a clean finger.

• Offer a chilled, not frozen, solid rubber teething ring.

• Skip teething gels and tablets. The FDA has warned against benzocaine products for children under two and against homeopathic teething products.

• Avoid amber or other teething necklaces, which pose choking and strangulation risks.

When to call your pediatric dentist

Let us know if a baby tooth is lost early because of injury or decay, if a permanent tooth is slow to appear, or if a permanent tooth comes in behind a baby tooth that hasn't loosened after a couple of months.

Questions about your child's teeth? Call our Westwood office at 310-388-3859.