Most babies get their first tooth around 6 to 8 months old, though the range is wide. Some infants sprout a tooth as early as 3 months, while others don’t see one until after their first birthday. The bottom two front teeth almost always come in first, followed by the top two front teeth a month or two later. By age 2 to 2½, most children have a full set of 20 baby teeth.
The Typical Order Teeth Appear
Baby teeth follow a fairly predictable sequence, even if the exact timing varies from child to child. The lower central incisors (the two bottom front teeth) arrive first, at an average of about 7.7 months. The upper central incisors follow around 9 months. Then the lateral incisors, the teeth on either side of the front four, fill in between roughly 10 and 12 months.
After the front eight teeth are in, there’s usually a short break before the first molars appear around 15 to 16 months. The pointed canine teeth come next, around 17 to 18 months. The second molars, all the way in the back, are the last to arrive, typically between 23 and 25 months. Lower teeth tend to show up slightly before their upper counterparts at each stage.
One consistent pattern: teeth almost always emerge in pairs, left and right, within a few weeks of each other. If you see one lower front tooth, the other is close behind.
What Teething Actually Feels Like for Your Baby
A prospective study published in Pediatrics tracked infants closely and found that real teething symptoms cluster in a narrow window: about four days before a tooth breaks through, the day it appears, and three days after. Outside that eight-day stretch, symptoms weren’t meaningfully different from baseline.
During that window, the symptoms consistently linked to teething include increased biting and gum-rubbing, extra drooling, irritability, wakefulness, ear-rubbing, a facial rash (usually from all the drool), decreased appetite for solid foods, and sucking on fingers or objects. A slight rise in temperature is common, but true fever (over 102°F) is not a teething symptom. The study found no association between teething and congestion, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, or high fever. If your baby has those symptoms, something else is going on.
Babies Born With Teeth
Roughly 1 in every 289 newborns arrives with one or more teeth already visible, a condition called natal teeth. These are usually lower front teeth, and they often look normal. Many natal teeth can simply be left alone. Removal is only necessary if the tooth is so loose it poses a choking risk, if it has a weak or underdeveloped structure, if it’s causing injury to the baby’s tongue, or if it makes breastfeeding painful for the parent.
When Late Teething Is Worth Checking
Because the normal range is so broad, a baby with no teeth at 10 or even 12 months is not unusual. Some perfectly healthy children don’t get their first tooth until 14 months or later. Delayed eruption on its own rarely signals a problem, but multiple health organizations recommend that every child have a dental visit by their first birthday. That appointment serves as a baseline, and it’s a natural time to address any concerns about teeth that haven’t appeared yet. If your child still has no teeth well past 12 months, a pediatric dentist can check whether the teeth are developing normally beneath the gums.
Safe Ways to Ease Teething Pain
The simplest relief is also the safest: a clean finger gently rubbed along your baby’s gums provides counter-pressure that many infants find soothing. Chilled (not frozen) teething rings made from medical-grade silicone or natural rubber work well too. Look for rings that are free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, and artificial fragrances, and avoid any with small detachable parts or materials that could crack.
A cold, wet washcloth for your baby to gnaw on is another reliable option. The combination of texture and cool temperature helps numb the gums naturally.
Products to Avoid
The FDA has issued clear warnings against using topical numbing gels or creams containing benzocaine or lidocaine on teething babies. Benzocaine can cause a potentially fatal condition that severely reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. Lidocaine solutions carry risks of seizures, heart problems, and brain injury in young children. Homeopathic teething tablets have also been flagged. These products offer little to no proven benefit for teething and carry serious risks.
Caring for New Teeth
Start brushing the day the first tooth appears. Use a soft-bristled infant toothbrush with a grain-of-rice-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste (1,000 ppm fluoride). That tiny amount is safe if swallowed and effective at preventing early cavities. Brush twice a day, especially after the last feeding before bed. Baby teeth hold space for permanent teeth and are vulnerable to decay, particularly the upper front teeth, which sit in constant contact with milk or formula during feeding.