Baby Teeth: The Usual Order and Timing

Another baby at playgroup has four teeth. Yours has none. An eruption chart can make that difference look more significant than it is: the ages describe a usual pattern, not a date each tooth must meet. The NHS notes that first teeth often appear around six months, but some babies start before four months and others after twelve.^[1]

What usually comes first

The front central incisors generally arrive first, often the lower pair before the upper pair. The neighbouring incisors follow, then the first baby molars, canines and second baby molars. Most children have their twenty baby teeth by two to three years. Individual timing varies; a chart cannot examine the gums or explain every variation.^[1]

At an appointment, give the dentist your child's age, which teeth you have noticed and what prompted the question. 'No tooth has appeared yet' is different from 'there is swelling where a tooth seems to be coming.' You do not need to repeatedly pull the lip up or press the gum to produce a better report.

Care is not postponed until the chart fills up

A first dental visit can include a discussion of development as well as cleaning and feeding. If the appointment has not been arranged, use the first-visit guide below to plan it. Bring a question about timing even if relatives remember their own children teething much earlier or later; a family comparison does not replace an assessment.

Keep illness separate from the tooth timetable. Symptoms that concern you deserve medical advice instead of an assumption about teething. The NHS advises contacting a health professional when a baby's symptoms cause concern; a new tooth does not explain every unhappy evening.^[1]

Keep the two sets of teeth separate

A baby-tooth chart describes the first set. Later, the first permanent molars arrive behind the baby teeth rather than replacing one. If an older child's new back tooth is the question, use the permanent-molar guide instead of comparing it with the infant chart.^[2]