Teeth are one of those things that just vary greatly from one baby to the next. The fact is that not every baby is going to start cutting teeth at the same stage. Some babies are even born with one or more teeth poking through their gums. Other babies may not show any signs of cutting teeth at all for several months. Just like they’re likely to reach different developmental milestones at different stages, so will they start cutting teeth at different ages. It’s a valid question to ask, of course. When your baby starts to cut teeth, he’s going to be more fussy because he is in pain. It’s going to affect his sleep schedule, of course, and it’s also likely to affect the breastfeeding process.
On average, babies will start to cut their first teeth some time around when they reach six months. In most cases, the first teeth to start breaking through are the incisors. The lower central incisors are first, followed by the upper central incisors. These teeth will stay with the child until she reaches about the age of six years old or so.
The next teeth will be the upper lateral incisors. These typically come in somewhere between eight and 11 months of age, and they stay with the child until about the age of eight or nine years old. The lower lateral incisors come in around this same time, and last until the age of seven or eight.
Your upper and lower cuspids and canines come in right around the 18 month mark. The uppers will disappear after the lowers, with the former lasting until age 11 or 12 and the latter lasting until nine or ten.
The last baby teeth to come in are your first molars. These tend to come in anywhere between the ages of ten and 16 months, followed by the second molars at 20 to 30 months. They all come out some time between the ages of ten and 13.
If you’re concerned about your baby’s teeth, talk to your health care provider. In some cases, it may be worth visiting a pediatric dentist to check as to whether there is some problem with the way your baby’s teeth are coming in.