Dental Timetable

Baby's first teeth (the front four) usually appear sometime between the age of six months and one year. And by the time your child is three years old, he or she should have a complete set of primary (or baby) teeth. Baby teeth will be replaced by permanent teeth from around the age of six until age 12 or 13. At this time, your child will have 28 of their 32 permanent teeth. The last teeth to appear are the wisdom teeth, which erupt around age 16.

How will my baby's teeth develop?

Usually, your baby's front four teeth (two on the top and two on the bottom) are the first to appear, sometime between six months and one year of age. These are often accompanied by sore or tender gums that may appear red or swollen. This stage is known as teething.

At around three years old, most children should have a complete set of 20 primary (or baby) teeth. It is very important to take good care of these first teeth, even though they will be replaced by permanent teeth. This is because your child's baby teeth hold the spaces for the permanent teeth to come in; if a baby tooth is lost, the permanent tooth could come in crooked.

When will my child's baby teeth start to fall out?

Your child will start to lose his or her baby teeth around age six. The process of permanent teeth replacing primary teeth occurs until age 12 or 13. By the time your child's wisdom teeth erupt at around age 16, he or she will have a complete set of 32 permanent teeth.

Because the process of replacing primary teeth with permanent teeth occurs gradually, keeping all the teeth clean may be a challenge. That's because your child will have larger permanent teeth growing next to smaller primary teeth, and this unevenness means lots of spaces for food and plaque to collect.