July 5, 2024
Parents often visit a pediatric dentist because they think one of their child’s permanent teeth are loose. However, an exam will sometimes reveal that it’s actually a baby tooth that’s loose.
Emily Hahn, DDS, a pediatric dentist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, talks about five things most people don’t realize about baby teeth.
- The first baby teeth begin to fall out around age 5 or 6.
- By age 8, most kids have their top four permanent teeth, their bottom four permanent teeth and their 6-year-molars, which come in behind their baby molars.
- At around 10 years old, the front bottom canines start getting loose, and that’s where parents panic because they thought all of their child’s baby teeth had fallen out.
- Most kids don’t lose their last baby tooth until they’re 12 years old. Their 12-year molars will come in around that time.
- When children are teenagers, their wisdom teeth will come in.
