Humans have two sets of teeth; the baby/milk teeth(which is temporary) and the adult teeth(which is permanent).
The baby teeth is the first set to appear in the mouth and there are 20 teeth in all; 10 in the upper and 10 in the lower jaw. They are generally smaller in size and whiter than the adult teeth. They are also known as the primary/deciduous dentition.
When will my baby’s first tooth pop out?
Your baby’s first tooth is expected to come out by 6 months, sometimes it could be earlier or later than 6 months. Some babies have their first tooth as early as 4 months while some come in later than 6 months.
The first teeth to appear are the lower front teeth(the incisors) followed the upper front teeth. By the age of 2.5 to 3 years, he/she should have the complete set of 20 teeth.
When will the baby teeth fall off?
By 6years, the lower baby teeth become loose and fall out and are replaced by the adult/permanent teeth. As time goes on, the whole 20 baby teeth will become loose and fall out. It is expected that all the baby teeth will have fallen off by 12years(on rare occasions, a baby tooth may remain until adulthood)
My one year old child doesn’t have any tooth, should I be worried?
Some children have their baby teeth quite late. If your child is 1year plus and doesn’t have any tooth present in his/her mouth, there might be nothing wrong with him/her; however, you will benefit from a visit to the dentist. The dentist may need to take some X-rays to confirm the presence of the teeth in the bone. This is necessary to allay your fears.
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