Children have 20 baby teeth in total, with 10 on the top and 10 on the bottom. These primary teeth start appearing around 7 months of age and are usually all in place by about 26 months. They serve as placeholders for the 32 permanent teeth that will eventually replace them.
The 20 Baby Teeth by Type
Those 20 teeth break down into three types, evenly split between the upper and lower jaws:
- Incisors (8 total): Four on top, four on the bottom. These are the flat front teeth used for biting into food.
- Canines (4 total): Two on top, two on the bottom. These are the pointed teeth next to the incisors, designed for tearing food.
- Molars (8 total): Four on top, four on the bottom. These broader, flatter teeth sit in the back of the mouth and handle chewing and grinding.
One notable difference from adult teeth: children don’t have premolars. Those are the teeth that sit between the canines and molars in adults. Premolars only appear in the permanent set, which is one reason adults end up with 32 teeth instead of 20.
When Baby Teeth Come In
The first baby tooth typically appears around 7 months of age, though there’s a wide range of normal. Some babies sprout a tooth as early as 3 months, while others don’t get their first one until 13 months. The lower front incisors are almost always the first to show up, followed by the upper front incisors.
From there, the teeth generally emerge in a front-to-back pattern. After the incisors come the first molars, then the canines, and finally the second molars at the very back. The full set of 20 is typically complete shortly after a child’s second birthday, around 26 months on average.
When Baby Teeth Fall Out
Baby teeth start loosening and falling out around age 6, though some children don’t begin losing teeth until age 7. The teeth tend to fall out in roughly the same order they came in, starting with the lower front incisors. The process is gradual. By age 13, most children have lost all 20 baby teeth and have their full set of permanent teeth in place.
That means baby teeth serve your child for about 6 to 10 years depending on the tooth, which is why cavities and decay in baby teeth still matter. A damaged baby tooth that’s lost too early can cause spacing problems for the permanent tooth waiting underneath.
Why Some Children Have Fewer Than 20
A small number of children are born missing one or more baby teeth entirely. This condition, called hypodontia, affects roughly 0.5% to 0.9% of children in their primary teeth. The lateral incisors (the teeth on either side of the two front teeth) are the most commonly absent. If your child seems to be missing a tooth that never appeared, a dentist can confirm with an X-ray whether the tooth simply hasn’t erupted yet or was never there to begin with.
Missing a baby tooth sometimes signals that the corresponding permanent tooth may also be absent, so it’s worth tracking. On the rarer flip side, some children develop extra teeth beyond the standard 20, though this is less common in baby teeth than in permanent ones.
Baby Teeth vs. Adult Teeth
Beyond the difference in count (20 versus 32), baby teeth are structurally different from permanent teeth in ways that affect how you care for them. Baby teeth have thinner enamel, the hard outer layer that protects against decay. This means cavities can develop faster and penetrate deeper in a shorter time compared to adult teeth. Baby teeth are also smaller overall, with shorter roots, which is part of why they’re able to loosen and fall out as the permanent teeth push through from below.
The 12 extra teeth adults gain include 8 premolars and 4 wisdom teeth (third molars). Premolars fill in the gaps between the canines and molars, while wisdom teeth arrive last, typically between ages 17 and 25.