Most babies get their first tooth around 6 months old, and the pattern is remarkably consistent: teeth arrive in pairs, starting at the front and working toward the back. By age 2½ to 3, all 20 baby teeth are typically in place. Here’s exactly what to expect and when.
The Complete Eruption Sequence
Baby teeth almost always follow the same order, with bottom teeth slightly ahead of their upper counterparts. The full sequence looks like this:
- Lower central incisors (bottom front two): 5 to 8 months
- Upper central incisors (top front two): 6 to 10 months
- Upper lateral incisors (flanking the top front teeth): 8 to 12 months
- Lower lateral incisors (flanking the bottom front teeth): 7 to 10 months
- First molars (upper and lower): 11 to 18 months
- Canines (the pointed teeth between incisors and molars): 16 to 20 months
- Second molars (upper and lower): 20 to 30 months
Notice the gap between the first molars and the canines. Many parents expect teeth to fill in neatly from front to back, so it can be surprising when the molars show up before the canines, leaving a temporary space in between. This is completely normal.
Why Lower Teeth Usually Come First
For the incisors, the bottom teeth tend to beat the top ones by a month or two. The lower central incisors are the first teeth most babies ever get, typically breaking through between 5 and 8 months. The matching upper central incisors follow shortly after, usually by 10 months. This bottom-first pattern repeats with the lateral incisors. Once you reach the molars and canines, though, the upper and lower teeth tend to arrive in the same window.
What Teething Looks and Feels Like
You’ll often notice signs before you see the tooth itself. The gum over an incoming tooth may look red, swollen, and tender. Drooling picks up noticeably, and your baby may start gnawing on anything within reach: toys, fingers, the edge of a bib.
Other common teething signs include fussiness, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and a temporary dip in appetite. These are all expected responses to the discomfort of a tooth pushing through gum tissue. One important distinction: a slight rise in temperature can happen during teething, but a true fever above 100.4°F (38°C) is not caused by teething and points to something else.
When Teeth Are Early or Late
The age ranges listed above are averages, and healthy babies can fall well outside them. Some babies sprout a first tooth at 4 months; others don’t get one until after their first birthday. Researchers generally consider eruption “delayed” only if no tooth has appeared by about 40 weeks of age (roughly 9 to 10 months). Even then, it’s often just a variation of normal rather than a sign of a problem.
On the other end of the spectrum, about 1 in every 289 newborns arrives with a tooth already in place. These natal teeth are usually lower front teeth. Most don’t need any treatment unless they’re very loose (posing a choking risk), cause pain during breastfeeding, or irritate the baby’s tongue.
Caring for Teeth as They Arrive
Oral care starts before the first tooth even shows up. Wiping your baby’s gums with a damp cloth or gauze pad after meals helps keep bacteria in check and gets your baby used to having their mouth cleaned. Once the first tooth breaks through, switch to a small, soft-bristled toothbrush with a rice-grain-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste, brushing twice a day. The best times are right after breakfast and just before bed.
Once two teeth sit next to each other and touch, flossing between them becomes important. You’ll be doing all of this yourself at first, gradually letting your child take over as their coordination develops.
When Baby Teeth Fall Out
Baby teeth leave in roughly the same order they arrived. The lower central incisors are typically the first to go, followed by the upper central incisors, then the lateral incisors, first molars, canines, and finally the second molars. Most children lose their first baby tooth around age 6, and the last ones hang on until age 11 or 12. That means the second molars, which were the last to arrive as a toddler, serve your child for nearly a decade before being replaced by permanent teeth.