By your child’s third birthday, all 20 of her baby teeth (also called her primary teeth or milk teeth) should be up and in business. But within a few short years, her permanent teeth will start rearing their little white heads and gradually push out the primary teeth, eventually causing them to fall out one by one.[1]
Most babies cut their first tooth sometime between 6 and 10 months. But just as you didn’t know exactly when a tiny tooth would appear within that timeframe, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when your child will start losing her baby teeth.
Still, there are certain times you can expect the tooth fairy to come calling.
When do kids start losing teeth?
Though there’s a wide range of normal, most kids will lose their first tooth around age 6 or 7 years old. In general, children who were early teethers tend to lose teeth before the rest of their classmates.
Usually, a child’s baby teeth fall out in about the same order they came in. The two bottom middle teeth (the lower central incisors) are typically the first to go, followed by the top two front teeth (the upper central incisors).[2]
Here’s a timeline of what you can expect as your little one sheds her baby teeth:
- 6 to 7 years old: Your child will probably lose her first baby tooth — likely one of the lower central incisors, which are used for cutting, crunching or chopping food — when she’s in first grade.[3] These may have been the first baby teeth to sprout when she was around 6 months up to around 10 months old. Your child’s permanent first molars may also begin pushing through around the same time.
- 7 to 8 years old: The next primary teeth to fall out will likely be your child’s upper and lower lateral incisors, which she’ll lose when she’s around 7 or 8 years old. Around this time, her permanent upper central incisors (the top front teeth) or permanent lower lateral incisors may also erupt. Don’t be surprised if your child's front teeth look especially prominent when those first permanent teeth poke through. She'll grow into them!
- 9 to 12 years old: Time to say goodbye to those baby molars: Your child’s upper and lower first molars will probably start to shed around ages 9 to 11 years old, and her second molars will fall out slightly later, between 10 and 12 years old. During this period, she’ll also lose her four pointy canine teeth, called cuspids. The lower canine teeth may go first (typically sometime between ages 9 and 12 years old), followed by her upper canine teeth (between 10 and 12 years old). In their place, she’ll gain a spate of permanent teeth: The upper canines, upper first premolars, upper second premolars, lower second premolars, lower first premolars and lower canines will all appear in their place.
- 12 to 13 years old: It’s possible for children to still be losing some teeth as late as 12 or 13 years old, and the upper and lower second molars will also make an appearance.
By her 12th or 13th birthday, your child will probably have lost all her baby teeth (though again, every kid is different). Within the following year, all of her permanent teeth will likely have erupted, with the exception of her third molars, also called the wisdom teeth. If she has four wisdom teeth (not everyone does), she can expect them to appear sometime between ages 17 and 21.[4]
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Tips on helping your child handle losing teeth
You probably remember the discomfort that comes with losing teeth, and children can also feel anxious about it.
Here’s how you can help ease your child’s pain and worry during the years when her baby teeth fall out:
- Prep for some teething pain (again). If your 5- or 6-year-old complains of pain in the back of her mouth (sometimes it travels to the jaw or ear too), it’s probably her 6-year molars trying to poke their way through. These molars can be painful to cut since they’re much bigger than her other teeth. All-fruit Popsicles and ice cold water can help, and you can give your little one children's ibuprofen to ease the pain, especially at night. (If your child has sensitivity to cold water and Popsicles, however, reach out to her dentist; some children can have a condition called enamel hypoplasia, which makes the enamel on their teeth thin and sensitive to cold foods.)
- Give a loose tooth time. It generally takes a few months from the time a tooth becomes loose until it drops out. Sometimes baby teeth fall out on their own by getting stuck in food.
- Talk up the tooth fairy. Some families introduce the tooth fairy as a way to help make the idea of loose teeth seem less scary and more exciting. Your child might be more willing to part with a tooth if she knows she can expect a visit from the tooth fairy the next morning.
- Help the tooth along — gently. If a wobbly tooth bothers your child, you can encourage her to wiggle it gently to help it come out faster, but remind her not to yank it before it’s ready. Pulling out a reluctant tooth can break the root, leaving the space more vulnerable to bacteria and infection. If a loose baby tooth remains in place after a few months, check in with the dentist — it may need to be pulled, but by a professional.
When to call the dentist about losing baby teeth
Your child’s baby teeth play an important role by helping hold a place for her permanent teeth. If a child loses baby teeth too early (such as from an accident), it’s possible for the permanent teeth to sprout through the empty space and lead to crowding.
If your child begins to lose baby teeth before the age of 4, consult her pediatrician or dentist to make sure there’s no underlying problem, such as tooth decay, that may be causing her to lose her teeth early.[5]
Check with her dentist, too, if your child's baby teeth show no signs of exiting by age 8. A delay could simply be due to crowding, but rarely, kids can have a condition called hypodontia, which means they have missing permanent (or baby) teeth.
Sometimes, some of the new teeth come in before the old ones leave, creating two rows of teeth — but this is only temporary. Soon, you’ll be able to say “see you later, alligator” (teeth, that is.)
Permanent teeth also tend to be less white than baby teeth, and they’ll have pronounced ridges when they first poke through, but only because they haven’t been worn smooth yet by biting or chewing.
It took nearly three years for your child to get a full set of baby teeth, but it takes until at least around age 21 until all of the permanent ones will have emerged. By the end of her teen years or early 20s, your child will have 32 teeth that, with proper care (thanks to all those good brushing and flossing habits you’re instilling now), will last a lifetime.
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