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To give your child a healthy start in life, it’s important to take care of his or her teeth and gums.  That’s because if dental disease is not treated, it can cause serious health problems.

Your child’s baby (primary) teeth are important.  These teeth help your child chew and speak normally.  Baby teeth also hold space in the jaws for the adult (permanent) teeth that come in later.

A baby’s teeth start to come in (erupt) when the baby is about six months old.  By age three, most children have a full set of 20 baby teeth.  Baby teeth will later be lost (shed) as your child grows.  This makes room for adult teeth, which begin to come in around age 6.  By the time children are teenagers, they usually have all of their adult teeth.

The chart below gives the names of the baby teeth.  It also shows when each tooth usually comes in and is lost.  Not all children get the same teeth at the same time.  Your child’s teeth may erupt earlier or later than shown here.

If you have any questions about your young child’s teeth and the timing of their growth, please call our office.

Adapted from the American Dental Association’s “Your Child’s Teeth from Birth to Age 6”