Most kids lose their first front teeth around age 6, though it’s perfectly normal for the process to start as late as age 7. The bottom two front teeth almost always fall out first, followed by the top two front teeth. The whole process of losing all primary teeth stretches over several years, but those signature gap-toothed grins typically show up in first or second grade.
When Each Front Tooth Falls Out
The front teeth follow a predictable pattern. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the lower central incisors (the two bottom middle teeth) come out between ages 6 and 7. The upper central incisors (the two top middle teeth) follow between ages 7 and 8. The lateral incisors, the teeth on either side of the center ones, fall out next: the lower pair between 7 and 8, the upper pair between 8 and 9.
So from start to finish, your child will be losing front teeth over roughly a two- to three-year window. The bottom teeth consistently lead the way, which makes sense because they were also the first baby teeth to come in. Primary teeth generally fall out in the same order they arrived.
That said, the AAPD notes that many otherwise normal children don’t follow this schedule exactly. A child who loses a bottom front tooth at 5½ or doesn’t lose one until 7½ is not necessarily experiencing anything unusual. The ranges are averages, not deadlines.
What Happens Inside the Gums
Baby teeth don’t just get pushed out by the permanent teeth underneath. The process is more controlled than that. As a permanent tooth develops and moves upward in the jawbone, it triggers specialized cells called odontoclasts to activate along the root of the baby tooth above it. These cells gradually dissolve the root from the bottom up, a process called root resorption. Inflammatory signals in the surrounding tissue help recruit and regulate these cells.
Over weeks or months, the root slowly disappears. By the time a tooth feels wiggly to your child, most of the root is already gone. That’s why baby teeth that fall out naturally look so small and hollow at the bottom compared to what you might expect. There’s very little root left.
Signs a Tooth Is About to Come Out
The first clue is usually the wiggle. Your child might notice it while eating or press on the tooth with their tongue. As the root dissolves further, the tooth becomes progressively looser over days or weeks. The gum tissue around it may look slightly pink or puffy, and your child might notice mild soreness when biting down on that tooth. Some kids spot the edge of the permanent tooth poking through behind or beneath the loose one before it falls out.
Once a permanent tooth starts to erupt, the corresponding baby tooth typically loosens and falls out within a few weeks. If you can see the new tooth coming in but the baby tooth hasn’t budged after several weeks, that’s worth mentioning to your child’s dentist.
Should You Pull a Loose Tooth?
The short answer: let it come out on its own. Pediatric dentists generally recommend that kids gently wiggle a loose tooth with their finger or tongue, but that parents avoid pulling it out. Removing a tooth before it’s truly ready can cause unnecessary bleeding and pain, which tends to make children anxious about losing future teeth.
A tooth that’s hanging by a thread and bothering your child during meals is usually fine to give a gentle nudge. But if it still feels firmly attached and requires real force, it’s better to wait. The root hasn’t fully dissolved yet, and pulling prematurely won’t speed anything up in a helpful way.
“Shark Teeth” and Double Rows
One of the most common surprises for parents is seeing a permanent tooth grow in directly behind the baby tooth, creating a brief double row that looks a bit like shark teeth. This happens most often with the lower front teeth and is usually not a cause for concern.
In most cases, natural tongue pressure and normal jaw growth guide the permanent tooth forward into the correct position once the baby tooth falls out. Encouraging your child to wiggle the baby tooth can help speed things along. However, a dental visit is a good idea if the baby tooth stays firmly in place past age 7½ with a fully visible permanent tooth behind it, if the permanent tooth is growing at a noticeable angle, or if your child is having pain or trouble chewing.
A dentist may remove the stubborn baby tooth to create space, but this is typically a conservative, one-tooth extraction rather than anything more involved. Most of the time, the situation resolves without any intervention at all.
When Early Tooth Loss Is a Concern
Losing a front tooth is considered premature if it happens more than a year before the expected age of natural loss. For a lower central incisor, that would mean losing it before age 5. The most common cause of premature loss is tooth decay, followed by trauma (a fall or impact to the mouth). Less frequently, conditions like nutritional deficiencies or certain systemic diseases can weaken tooth roots and lead to early exfoliation.
Premature loss matters because baby teeth hold space for the permanent teeth developing underneath. When a tooth is lost too early, neighboring teeth can drift into the gap, potentially causing crowding or alignment problems when the permanent tooth tries to come in. If your child loses a front tooth well ahead of schedule, a dentist can evaluate whether a space maintainer or monitoring is needed to keep things on track.
After the Front Teeth: What Comes Next
Once the eight front teeth (four central incisors and four lateral incisors) are out, the remaining baby teeth follow over the next few years. First molars typically shed around ages 9 to 11, canines (the pointed teeth) around 9 to 12, and the second molars last, usually between ages 10 and 12. By about age 12 or 13, most children have a full set of permanent teeth, with the exception of wisdom teeth, which may or may not appear years later.
The front teeth tend to get the most attention because they’re visible and because they mark the beginning of the whole process. But the pattern is the same throughout: the permanent tooth develops, the baby tooth root dissolves, the tooth loosens, and it falls out. Each stage is a normal, self-regulating part of how the jaw grows and the adult dentition takes shape.