Toddlers get 20 primary teeth in total. These teeth start appearing around 6 months of age and typically finish coming in by age 3, giving your child a complete set of 10 upper and 10 lower teeth.
The Full Set: 20 Primary Teeth
Your toddler’s 20 primary teeth break down into four types, evenly split between the upper and lower jaws:
- 8 incisors: four on top and four on the bottom, right in the front of the mouth. These are the flat, thin teeth used for biting.
- 4 canines: the pointed teeth just next to the incisors, one on each side of each jaw.
- 8 molars: the wider, flatter teeth toward the back, with a first and second molar on each side of each jaw. These handle chewing.
Each tooth type comes in pairs. So your child will get two upper central incisors, two lower central incisors, two upper lateral incisors, and so on, until all 20 spots are filled. This is fewer than the 32 permanent teeth adults eventually have, because toddlers don’t develop premolars or third molars (wisdom teeth) in their primary set.
When Each Tooth Comes In
Teeth don’t all show up at once. They follow a general sequence, though the exact timing varies from child to child by several months in either direction.
The lower central incisors are usually the first to appear, typically between 6 and 10 months. The upper central incisors follow shortly after, around 8 to 12 months. Next come the lateral incisors on both jaws, filling in by roughly 9 to 16 months. By the time most babies hit their first birthday, they have somewhere between 4 and 8 teeth.
The first molars tend to emerge between 13 and 19 months, and the canines fill the gap between the incisors and molars around 16 to 23 months. The second molars are the last to arrive, usually between 23 and 33 months. Most children have all 20 teeth by their third birthday.
What Teething Feels Like for Your Toddler
The signs of teething are fairly consistent regardless of which tooth is coming through. You’ll likely notice extra drooling, red or swollen gums at the eruption site, and general fussiness. Many toddlers also experience irritability, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, and a strong urge to bite or chew on objects.
Later teeth, especially the molars, can be more uncomfortable simply because they’re larger and have a broader surface pushing through the gum tissue. Your toddler may seem crankier during molar eruptions than they were when the front teeth came in.
A slight rise in temperature is common during teething, but a true fever above 100.4°F (38°C) is not caused by teething. If your toddler develops a high fever, that points to something else and is worth investigating separately.
Why Primary Teeth Are More Vulnerable
Baby teeth are structurally different from the permanent teeth that will eventually replace them. Their enamel, the hard outer coating, is thinner. The inner layer of the tooth (dentin) is also softer. Together, these differences mean that decay can move through a primary tooth faster than it would through an adult tooth.
Primary teeth also have shorter, narrower roots designed to loosen and fall out naturally when permanent teeth are ready to come in. This is normal and intentional, but it also means baby teeth sit less firmly in the jaw, which is why they’re more easily damaged by falls or impacts.
These structural differences are one reason early dental care matters. A child’s first dental visit should happen after the first tooth appears but no later than their first birthday. Starting early lets a dentist check for decay while the teeth are still few and easy to examine, and gives you a chance to ask about brushing techniques and fluoride.
Caring for New Teeth
Even before all 20 teeth are in, you can start a simple routine. For babies and young toddlers, a soft-bristled toothbrush with a rice-grain-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste works well. Once your child turns 3, you can increase to a pea-sized amount.
Because baby tooth enamel is thinner and their dentin softer, sugary liquids sitting on teeth are a particular risk. Putting a toddler to bed with a bottle of juice or milk allows sugar to pool around the teeth for hours, which can lead to rapid decay. Water is the safest option if your child needs a bottle at bedtime.
Spacing between primary teeth is actually a good sign. Gaps between baby teeth leave room for the larger permanent teeth that will start replacing them around age 6. Crowded baby teeth sometimes signal that permanent teeth may be tight on space later, which is something a dentist can monitor over time.