Twenty baby teeth, two years for them to come in and six years for them to fall out. What is normal in that time, what is not, and why baby teeth are treated rather than left to fall out. When they come
The first baby tooth usually shows at 6–10 months, a lower front incisor. By 2.5–3 years all twenty are in. Order matters more than dates: teeth arriving in a different sequence is not yet a problem; no teeth at all by the first birthday is worth showing to a dentist, though it is most often still within the normal range.
| Teeth | Come in | Fall out |
|---|---|---|
| Lower central incisors | 6–10 months | 6–7 years |
| Upper central incisors | 8–12 months | 6–7 years |
| Lateral incisors | 9–16 months | 7–8 years |
| First molars | 13–19 months | 9–11 years |
| Canines | 16–23 months | 9–12 years |
| Second molars | 23–33 months | 10–12 years |
When they fall out
Shedding starts around age 6 and ends around 12. A baby tooth loosens because the permanent tooth beneath it dissolves its root; once the root is gone the tooth hangs on the gum alone and falls out by itself. The first permanent tooth, the six-year molar, erupts behind the last baby tooth at about 6 without pushing anything out. Parents often take it for a baby tooth, which is why it is the most neglected tooth in the mouth.
What is normal and what is not
- Normal: a tooth wobbles for several weeks; a little bleeding when it comes out; the permanent tooth arrives slightly crooked and straightens; gaps between the front teeth, needed for the larger permanent ones.
- Show the dentist: the permanent tooth is already visible while the baby tooth holds firm ("shark teeth"); a baby tooth has not fallen out more than a year after its twin on the other side; a tooth is dark or has a hole; the gum beside a tooth is swollen or has a pimple on it.
Why baby teeth are treated rather than left
A baby tooth holds the space for the permanent one and guides it in. If a baby molar is lost or extracted 3–4 years early, the neighbours tip into the gap and the permanent tooth has no room: it comes in crooked or stays in the bone. Decay in a baby tooth reaches the nerve within months, and infection at the root can damage the permanent tooth bud growing directly beneath it. So a cavity in a baby tooth is filled (50–60 EUR), a deep one after partial removal of the nerve, a pulpotomy (80–100 EUR).
When a baby tooth is extracted after all
When the tooth is too broken down to fill; when infection at the root will not settle; when the baby tooth blocks the permanent one and will not come out on its own. Extraction of a baby tooth costs 40 EUR, with anaesthesia, 10–15 minutes. If a tooth is lost early the dentist may suggest a space maintainer so the neighbours do not tip.
Taking out a wobbly baby tooth at home
If the tooth hangs on the gum and moves in every direction: clean fingers or a piece of gauze, one movement, no rocking sideways. If it holds firm, hurts, or bleeds more than a few drops, do not pull; the baby tooth may still have root left. Afterwards: nothing hot for an hour, bleeding stops on its own.
Booking
The children's dentist at Laurus Dent plus, Spikeri, Riga, Monday to Friday 8:00–20:00. Check-up 40–55 EUR. Call +371 67224064 or book online; we offer the nearest available time. More: children's dentistry and dental hygiene for children.