Teeth development Children usually start losing their baby teeth from around 6 years of age. From 6-12 years, children have a mixture of adult and baby teeth. By about 12 years, most children have all their adult teeth except for the third molars (wisdom teeth).
Children usually lose their first tooth around 5 or 6 years old. But every child is unique. Some will lose their first tooth as early as 4 years old or as late as 7 years old.
It's considered normal if kids start feeling a loose tooth as early as age 4 — or haven't lost any as late as age 8. Even if your kid has an accident and loses a tooth younger than age 6, you probably don't need to worry.
The roots of the baby teeth disintegrate, which makes them loosen and fall out. By the age of 12–14, most people have lost all of their baby teeth and have a set of 28 adult teeth. The last four teeth, wisdom teeth, usually emerge last, between the ages of 17–21.
Most children lose their last baby tooth by age 12. Girls can be up to two years earlier than boys and lose their last baby tooth by age 10. Boys could lose their last baby tooth as late as age 13. In either case, boys or girls, baby teeth present after age 13 are cause for concern.
Should children still have baby teeth after age 12? Not all children develop at the same rate, so, in some instances, children can still have baby teeth until age 14. However, if a child is older than 14 and has a few baby teeth left, this could be a cause for concern.
If a tooth is loose because of gum disease, it might tighten back up with consistent and proper dental hygiene. A deep cleaning with a hygienist called Scaling & Root Planing is typically the best treatment option. If a tooth is loose because of an injury, it likely won't tighten back up.
If your child has not lost any teeth by the time he turns 7, talk to your dentist. Most likely there won't be a problem, but the dentist may suggest taking X rays to make sure that all the teeth are under the gum. In fact, there's actually an advantage to getting permanent teeth late, Dr. White says.
Premature loss of primary teeth can cause orthodontic problems such as crowding, ectopic eruption, or tooth impaction, which can result in malocclusion. It can also affect children's phonation, causing speech distortion.
The first baby teeth to fall out are typically the two bottom front teeth (lower central incisors) and the two top front teeth (upper central incisors), followed by the lateral incisors, first molars, canines and second molars.
The oral health of 5 year olds did not change significantly from 2019 to 2022 in terms of prevalence (23.4% and 23.7% respectively), severity of experience of dentinal decay in all children (0.8 and 0.8) and severity of experience of dentinal decay in those children with any decay experience (3.4 and 3.5 teeth).
Some kids may lose theirs as early as five or as late as seven, which is still considered normal. The average child will have lost eight baby teeth by age eight; four front teeth on top and four front teeth on the bottom. Between 8-10 you will normally not see much loss or eruption of teeth.
If your child is experiencing tooth loss too early, the most common reasons are (1) dental decay and (2) traumatic facial injuries. Thankfully, the most common causes of early baby tooth loss are largely preventable.
Gum disease—Also known as periodontal disease, gum disease is the No. 1 cause of tooth loss in adults. It is a serious infection that affects the soft tissue and bone supporting your teeth. Without treatment, gum disease can destroy the supporting bone and cause tooth loss.
Between the ages of about 6 and 7 years, the primary teeth start to shed and the permanent teeth begin to come through. By the age of about 21 years, the average person has 32 permanent teeth – 16 in the upper jaw and 16 in the lower jaw.
Baby teeth (also called deciduous teeth or primary teeth) begin to wiggle as early as age 4 and you will see kids losing teeth between the ages of 5-15, with girls many times losing them before boys. Baby teeth can also be lost due to injuries or dental issues such as gum disease or cavities.
Between the ages of 8 and 10 years, it's normal for kids to not lose any teeth at all. Around 10 years they'll likely start to lose the rest of their baby teeth, with the average child has losing all of their baby teeth by the time they've turned 13 years old.
Typically, kids lose their top 4 teeth and bottom 4 teeth between ages 6 and 8. The remaining 12 teeth, which are canines and molars, are lost between ages 10 and 12. Some kids think losing teeth is exciting, while others find it uncomfortable and strange.
You don't want to brush your loose tooth, because this can loosen it even further. However, you can clean your mouth by swishing around some warm water. This will remove particles from the loosened tooth, and help reduce bacterial buildup.
Teeth are secured not directly into the bone, but with a tough but flexible ligament. This ligament allows the tooth to wiggle just a little bit. About a hundredth of an inch is normal, just enough that you might feel it move under significant pressure, but you shouldn't actually be able to see the movement.
Mix a tablespoon of salt in 6 ounces of warm water and swish vigorously around in your mouth. Continue this at least for a minute before you rinse, spit and repeat. This will draw out all that hidden bacteria effectively. Gradually, your gums will begin to strengthen and so will the loose tooth.
Famous Teeth
Joyce Walen of the U.S. still had a baby tooth when she was 87 years old, making her the owner of the oldest baby tooth. The longest human tooth extracted measured at 1.26 inches when it was removed from the mouth of Loo Hui Jing in Singapore.
If these teeth remain in the mouth until at least age 20, they have a very low likelihood of causing any future complications. But if teeth like the incisors or first molars don't fall out, orthodontic treatment typically is required to remedy dental complications that they can cause to adjacent teeth.
By the time your child hits puberty, all of the baby teeth should be out and making way for the permanent teeth to take their place. The baby teeth fall out in a general order at these general ages. The process may start a bit earlier for some or a bit later for others.