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Tooth Eruption Schedule

Tooth Eruption Charts

The following chart shows when primary teeth (also called baby teeth or deciduous teeth) erupt and shed. It's important to note that eruption times can vary from child to child.

Primary Teeth Development Chart

Upper Teeth	When tooth emerges	When tooth falls out
Central incisor	8 to 12 months	6 to 7 years
Lateral incisor	9 to 13 months	7 to 8 years
Canine (cuspid)	16 to 22 months	10 to 12 years
First molar	13 to 19 months	9 to 11 years
Second molar	25 to 33 months	10 to 12 years

Lower Teeth	When tooth emerges	When tooth falls out
Second molar	23 to 31 months	10 to 12 years
First molar	14 to 18 months	9 to 11 years
Canine (cuspid)	17 to 23 months	9 to 12 years
Lateral incisor	10 to 16 months	7 to 8 years
Central incisor	6 to 10 months	6 to 7 years

As seen from the chart, the first teeth begin to break through the gums at about 6 months of age. Usually, the first two teeth to erupt are the two bottom central incisors (the two bottom front teeth). Next, the top four front teeth emerge. After that, other teeth slowly begin to fill in, usually in pairs - one each side of the upper or lower jaw - until all 20 baby teeth (10 in the upper jaw and 10 in the lower jaw) have erupted. The complete set of primary teeth is typically in the mouth by 2 ½ to 3 years of age.

Other primary tooth eruption facts:

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• A general rule of thumb is that for every 6 months of life, approximately 4 teeth will erupt.
• Girls generally precede boys in tooth eruption.
• Lower teeth usually erupt before upper teeth.
• Teeth in both jaws usually erupt in pairs--one on the right and one on the left.
• Primary teeth are smaller in size and whiter in color than the permanent teeth that will follow.
• By the time a child is 2 to 3 years of age, all primary teeth should have erupted.
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Shortly after age 4, the jaw and facial bones of the child begin to grow, creating spaces between the primary teeth. This is a perfectly natural growth process that provides the necessary space for the larger, permanent teeth to erupt into. Between the ages of 6 and 12, a mixture of both primary teeth and permanent teeth reside in the mouth.

Why Is it Important to Care for Baby Teeth?

While it's true that primary teeth are only in the mouth a short period of time, they play a vital role in the following ways:

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• They reserve space for their permanent counterparts.
• They give the face its normal appearance.
• They aid in the development of clear speech.
• They help attain good nutrition (missing or decayed teeth make it difficult to chew causing children to reject foods).
• They help give a healthy start to the permanent teeth (decay and infection in baby teeth can cause dark spots on the permanent teeth developing beneath it).
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The following chart shows when permanent teeth emerge.

Upper Teeth	When tooth emerges
Central incisor	7 to 8 years
Lateral incisor	8 to 9 years
Canine (cuspid)	11 to 12 years
First premolar (first bicuspid)	10 to 11 years
Second premolar (second bicuspid)	10 to 12 years
First molar	6 to 7 years
Second molar	12 to 13 years
Third molar (wisdom tooth)	17 to 21 years

Lower Teeth	When tooth emerges
Third molar (wisdom tooth)	17 to 21 years
Second molar	11 to 13 years
First molar 6 to 7 years	17 to 21 years
Second premolar (second bicuspid)	11 to 12 years
First premolar (first bicuspid)	10 to 12 years
Canine (cuspid)	9 to 10 years
Lateral incisor	7 to 8 years
Central incisor	6 to 7 years