Your child’s baby teeth start erupting from when they are 6 months old. Whereas permanent teeth eruption begins when they are 6 years old.

Children have all of their 20 teeth by they are about 2 to 3 years old.

These hold up spaces for their permanent counterpart that will stay in your mouth for life.

This eruption will last from when your child is 6 years old to 12 years old.

During this time they do not feel as strong teething symptoms as they did when the primary teeth were erupting.

This article discusses how their teeth erupt and how can you maintain their oral hygiene.

girl with tooth loss

From Primary to Permanent Teeth Eruption

Baby teeth (also known as primary or milk) erupt by 3 years of age.

These are 10 teeth lying in both the upper and lower arch.

Hence, a total of 20 teeth which includes:

  • 2 central incisors in each upper and lower jaw making it a total of 4.
  • 4 lateral incisors right beside the central incisors (front teeth)
  • 2 canines shaped like vampire’s teeth for tearing food in each jaw, totaling 4
  • 4 first molars, help in grinding and chewing food
  • 4 second molars

All these are present two each in the upper and lower jaw.

They are placeholders for their permanent counterpart.

In fact, the adult ones start growing below the gums under the primary teeth.

The upper and lower baby teeth erupt and fall at different times.

However, the pattern can be similar to how the adult ones erupt.

The maxillary teeth erupt and fall in the following order:

  • The central incisors that are the upper front teeth erupt between 8 to 12 months of age and fall between 6 to 7 years old
  • The lateral incisors right beside the central incisors, erupt at 9 to 13 months and fall when you are 7 to 8 years old
  • Canine teeth or cuspids emerge at 16 to 22 months and fall off at the age of 10 to 12
  • The first molar erupts at 13 t 19 months and it falls off at 9 to 11 years
  • Second molars erupt last at 25 to 33 months, they fall last too at 10 to 12 years of age.

The mandibular teeth use the following order to erupt and fall:

  • Lower central incisors are the first ones to erupt at 6 to 10 months, they fall first too at 6 to 7 years
  • Lateral incisors follow by erupting at 10 to 16 months and falling at 7 to 8 years
  • First molars erupt next between 14 to 18 months and fall around 9 to 11 years
  • Canines erupt at 17 to 23 months, fall at 9 to 12 years
  • Second molars erupt at 23 to 32 months fall between 10 to 12 months

The permanent counterparts of these primary teeth erupt a while after they fall off.

These are a total of 32 in number.

Let’s find out about their eruption order in detail below!

Permanent teeth eruption order

Permanent Teeth Eruption Order and Development

When it is time for the baby tooth to fall, its root starts dissolving even before that.

Hence, the crown of the permanent tooth starts developing in the place where the primary tooth’s root breaks.

Hence, it is already growing underneath gums.

As the baby tooth comes loose and falls, the adult one makes its way through the place where the milk tooth fell off.

You may think about how can 32 teeth come in place of 20?

Well, this is because your jaw bone grows the fastest.

Hence, even if it does not feel like your mouth can accommodate for now 28 and later 32 teeth, it can.

Plus, twelve of these do not replace any baby tooth.

They emerge a few later after the primary counterpart falls off.

Permanent teeth eruption pain is not the same as teething.

Though, if your child begins teething early, their adult teeth will start erupting early too.

For some, it can begin by they are 4 years old.

Similarly, it is also possible to get delayed by two years and eruption does not begin by your are 8.

The first teeth to erupt are the first molars.

They are also known as six-year molars but they do not replace any baby tooth.

Though, the rest of the teeth follow the same eruption order as the primary ones.

However, this does not apply to every child.

Everyone can follow a different eruption order so it is nothing to worry about if your child does not follow a pattern.

Permanent teeth eruption development

Order of Eruption

The 6-year molars erupt first behind the primary teeth when your child is about 6 or 7 years old.

Two upper and lower molars erupt while most of their primary ones are still in place.

Next, the central incisors are the first to fall off and they are also the first ones to erupt.

The lower central incisors come before the upper ones by a little time.

Their partial eruption and full happens while your child is between 6 to 8 years of age.

The lateral incisors follow by coming in between 7 to 9 years.

Next, the canines in the lower jaw and 4 premolars, replacing the first molars in primary ones come around the same time of 9 to 12 years.

The upper canines and second premolar (second bicuspid) follow by coming between 10 to 12 years of age.

Lastly, the second molars come right behind the first molars.

They too do not replace any primary teeth.

Moreover, they are known as 12-year molars as they erupt from 11 to 13 years of age.

This makes the total number of teeth 28 including:

  • Front teeth/central incisors- 4
  • Lateral incisors – 4
  • Canines- 4
  • Premolars- 8
  • First molars -4
  • Second molar -4

What’s left are the third molars or wisdom teeth.

These do not appear until you are 17 to 21 years old or they can even appear later.

However, they can also be impacted in which case you will have to remove them.

More on that below.

boy with crowding

Permanent Teeth Eruption Problems

The first eight teeth fall off together while the remaining take their time and may not even fall for 2 years.

This process of eruption will last at least 7 years where your child will also have mixed dentition i.e. both adult and primary teeth.

Though, they will have all of their permanent ones by the time they are 13 years old except wisdom teeth.

They erupt on their set time which is 17 to 21 years or can even erupt later.

Though, sometimes they never erupt or are taken out.

This is because there is insufficient space in the jaw to accommodate them.

Hence, if the tooth keeps growing it will become an impacted wisdom tooth.

The existing ones in your jaw block the impacted tooth.

Therefore, it can result in pain, infection and inflammation as well as overcrowding.

As a result, your pediatric dentist prefers to extract them.

Another problem with eruption can be overcrowding.

This can happen if the jaw size is yet not developed to accommodate all incoming teeth.

Furthermore, you can lose a baby tooth earlier because of an injury, extraction or cavity.

The high daily sugar intake of kids and improper oral hygiene can slowly decay their teeth.

If your or your dentist do not take care of it then it timely then they will have to extract it.

As they lose a tooth, the surrounding teeth may shift into that empty space.

Hence, when the adult tooth erupts, it does not have enough space and due to the crowding, it is misaligned or obstructed.

Your doctor will insert a space maintainer in the space to prevent this scenario.

Rarely, an extra adult tooth can erupt which can also cause crowding. It is known as supernumerary teeth or hypodontia.

teeth care

Taking Care of Your Oral Health

Oral care begins even before your baby teeth erupt.

Parents should wipe the gums of their infants because they drink milk with sugars.

These sugars can become breeding grounds for bacteria.

The bacteria inside the mouth feed on sugars which produce acids.

These acids can erode the enamel as the teeth erupt inside your mouth.

Though baby teeth will eventually fall off so why should you take care of them?

This is because they hold space for their adult counterparts.

If you lose a baby tooth before time then your adult one will not come in the right place.

Moreover, there already will be overcrowding inside your mouth.

Plus, they also aid in giving the face a proper structure and assist in chewing, biting and speaking.

Furthermore, an infection in the primary ones will harm the appearance of the adult counterpart.

For instance, tooth decay can cause dark spots on the adult ones growing beneath the gums.

Hence, it is important to care for them.

Basic care includes brushing and flossing.

You need to continue this care when all permanent ones erupt.

Unlike the primary, the roots of the adult ones do not die soon and they last a lifetime, provided you take care of them.

Decay, cavities and periodontitis can result in tooth loss.

Therefore maintaining good oral hygiene is crucial.

Brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once.

Besides, use an interdental brush, use mouthwash and visit a dentist at least twice a year.

This will help keep your oral hygiene on spot and prevent you from diseases and infections.

Conclusion 

Permanent teeth eruption will be complete after 13 years of age.

However, oral care continues for the rest of your life.

Take good care of your hygiene to always smile brightly.