The first front teeth, the lower central incisors, typically appear between 6 and 10 months of age. If you’re tracking permanent front teeth instead, those start coming in around age 6 or 7. Both baby and adult front teeth follow a predictable pattern, though the exact timing varies from child to child.
Baby Front Teeth: 6 to 16 Months
Baby front teeth arrive in a specific order. The two bottom center teeth come first, usually between 6 and 10 months. The two upper center teeth follow at 8 to 12 months. After that, the teeth on either side of the center (lateral incisors) fill in: upper lateral incisors at 9 to 13 months, and lower lateral incisors at 10 to 16 months, according to the American Dental Association’s tooth development chart.
So by roughly 16 months, most children have all eight front teeth in place, four on top and four on the bottom. The pattern is consistent: lower teeth tend to arrive before upper teeth, and center teeth appear before the ones on either side.
Some babies are early and pop a tooth at 4 months. Others don’t see their first tooth until closer to their first birthday. Both scenarios are normal. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry notes that many otherwise normal infants don’t conform strictly to standard schedules.
Signs a Baby Tooth Is Coming In
You’ll often notice behavioral changes before you can actually see the tooth. Common teething signs include red, swollen gums where the tooth is pushing through, increased drooling, and a strong urge to gnaw and chew on things. Babies may also have one flushed cheek, rub their ear on the affected side, or become fussier than usual, especially at night.
A mild temperature (under 100.4°F) can accompany teething, but high fevers are not a teething symptom. If your baby develops a significant fever while teething, something else is likely going on.
Permanent Front Teeth: Ages 6 to 9
Children lose their baby front teeth and gain permanent ones in the same order the baby teeth originally arrived. The process starts around age 6, though some children don’t begin until age 7.
Here’s the typical schedule for permanent front teeth based on ADA data:
- Lower central incisors: 6 to 7 years
- Upper central incisors: 7 to 8 years
- Lower lateral incisors: 7 to 8 years
- Upper lateral incisors: 8 to 9 years
By age 8 or 9, most children have all eight permanent front teeth. The new teeth look noticeably larger than the baby teeth they replaced, which is why kids in early elementary school often have that familiar “big teeth, small face” look. This is completely normal, and the face grows to match over time.
The Gap-Tooth Stage
Baby front teeth loosen and fall out because the permanent teeth developing underneath gradually dissolve the roots holding them in place. The bottom two front teeth fall out first, followed by the top two. Most children find this process exciting rather than painful, though the gum may be tender for a few days after a tooth comes out.
There’s often a gap between when a baby tooth falls out and when the permanent tooth fully emerges. This can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. A visible gap where a tooth hasn’t come in yet is rarely a concern at this age, especially if the tooth on the opposite side has already appeared or is on its way.
When Timing Runs Late
Tooth eruption follows a wide range of normal. For baby teeth, most pediatric dentists aren’t concerned unless a child has no teeth at all by 18 months. For permanent teeth, a delay of 6 to 12 months beyond the typical range is usually nothing to worry about, particularly if the baby tooth in that spot hasn’t fallen out yet.
Factors that influence timing include genetics (if you or your partner were late teethers, your child may be too), nutrition, and whether the baby was born prematurely. Premature babies often hit teething milestones later when measured by birth date, but right on time when measured by their due date.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends scheduling a child’s first dental visit by their first birthday or within six months of their first tooth appearing, whichever comes first. This gives a dentist an early baseline to track development and catch any issues before they become problems.