One of our favorite things to see is a big gummy baby smile with those first two bottom teeth poking through. Those little baby pearly whites shining in a happy baby’s mouth are enough to bring a smile to every parent’s face.
NORMAL TOOTH ERUPTION
Generally speaking, most babies can expect to have their first two teeth erupt around six months of age. The lower incisors are the first teeth to make an appearance followed by the upper incisors at about 8 months of age. Between 9 to 13 months, you can expect your child to have anywhere from 8 to 10 teeth!
This isn’t to say that this is the only thing you can expect though, as a parent, you know that sometimes, things don’t always go the way you think they should. It’s not uncommon for us to get phone calls from concerned parents when a child is 10 months to a year old and still not showing any teeth.
While we still do recommend that your child come in for their first dentist appointment with us before their first birthday, we don’t really begin to worry about no teeth until your child is closer to 18 months old.
When your toothless toddler comes in for their appointment, our dentist can usually tell by feel where the teeth are in development under the gumline. If needed, we will do x-rays to make sure that things are growing like they should be. Remember that good oral health starts way before the teeth arrive, so go ahead and brush those gums for your child and keep in mind that delayed eruption is completely normal most of the time.
Give our office a call any time you have concerns about your child’s oral health and don’t forget to schedule that first visit before his first birthday!
