Baby Teeth

Teething Education- Learn about teething, what to expect during teething and how to alleviate the discomfort associated with the process.

Child's First Dental Appointment.- When Should a Child Be Seen for the First Time. What to expect during the first dental visit.

Dental Sealants- Dental sealants are a quick, painless, and inexpensive way to keep the biting surfaces of posterior teeth free from caries.

Baby bottle tooth decay and baby bottle syndrome describe a condition of severe and rapid tooth decay observed in babies and children.

Space Maintainer allows for preservation of space caused by premature loss of a baby tooth. It allows the permanent tooth to come in properly into the oral cavity. It maintains the proper position of adjacent primary, baby teeth, which should lead to proper eruption of a permanent tooth.

Even though the first baby teeth don't begin erupting until the age of about 6-8 months, tooth development begins in utero. Lower front central incisors are the first teeth to erupt. They are followed by the lower lateral incisors and the upper 4 incisors. The remainder of your baby's teeth will appear periodically, usually in pairs on each side of the jaw, until the child is about 2 1/2 years old. By the time your child is 2 ½ years old, all 20 baby teeth will most likely have come in. From this point until the child is 5 to 6 years of age, his or her first permanent teeth will begin to erupt. Some of the permanent teeth replace baby teeth, others don't. There is no fast set rule that your baby's teeth will erupt at the specified time. There is a lot of variation and below you will find the average baby teeth eruption patterns.

Here is a chart of when primary (baby) teeth begin calcificationa and when they erupt.

Eruption patterns of primary dentition (baby teeth).

Maxillary (teeth located in the upper jaw)

Central incisors 7 ½ months

Lateral incisors 9 months

Cuspids (canines) 18 months

First molars 14 months

Second molars 24 months

Mandibular (teeth located in the lower jaw)

Central incisors 6 months

Lateral incisors 7 months

Cuspids (canines) 16 months

First molars 12 months

Second molars 20 months

Initial hard tissue formation in primary teeth (baby teeth)

Maxillary

Central incisors 4 months in utero

Lateral incisors 4 1/2 months in utero

Cuspids (canines) 5 months in utero

First molars 5 months in utero

Second molars 6 months in utero

Mandibular

Central incisors 4 1/2 months in utero

Lateral incisors 4 1/2 months in utero

Cuspids (canines) 5 months in utero

First molars 5 months in utero

Second molars 6 months in utero

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