Tooth Eruption Guide

While most children have 20 primary teeth (10 in each of the lower and upper jaws), note that they will eventually be replaced by 32 permanent teeth (16 in each jaw). Each tooth has a varied shape, size, location, and function. Together, your teeth help give your face its shape and form and play a vital role in helping you smile, speak and chew. Here is a tooth eruption guide to provide you with a better understanding of the different types of teeth and their significance in our life.

The 5 Stages of Tooth Eruption

Teething is when a child’s first teeth (milk teeth or baby teeth) appear by erupting through the gums. The five stages of the tooth eruption guide are as follows:

• Stage 01 | 0-6 months: Newborn babies are born with a full set of 20 teeth beneath their gums.
• Stage 02 | 6 months: Incisors erupt (two teeth in the front of the lower and upper jaw).
• Stage 03 | 10-14 months: Premolars erupt.
• Stage 04 | 16-22 months: Canine teeth will erupt between the molars and incisors on the top and bottom jaw.
• Stage 05 | 25-33 months: Molars erupt.

Here are some lesser-known tooth eruption facts:

• Girls generally precede boys in tooth eruption.
• According to the general rule of thumb, approximately four new teeth will erupt every six months of life.
• All primary teeth will erupt by the time your child is 2 to 3 years old.
• Upper teeth erupt after the eruption of lower teeth.
• Compared to permanent teeth, baby teeth are whiter in color and smaller in size.
• Tooth eruption usually occurs in pairs (one on the left and one on the right).

Even Baby Teeth Should be Taken Care Of!

By the time your little one is around 12 or 13 years old, around 20 of their adult teeth might have already come in. However, the “wisdom tooth” erupts somewhere between the ages of 17 to 21. How well your child takes care of their baby teeth directly impacts the growth of permanent teeth.

• Baby teeth reserve a spot for permanent teeth.
• They help in the development of speech.
• Give the face its structure.
• Protects the permanent teeth from infection until they erupt.
• Help your child in attaining good nutrition.

Looking for a child dentist in Parker, CO? Schedule an appointment with a Little Rockies Child Dentist today!