When will my child’s baby teeth fall out?

What are baby teeth exactly?

These are your baby’s first teeth, and they serve many purposes. Baby teeth allow your baby to eat more solid foods while defining his facial features. They also serve as a guide for the final teeth, which will take their place later.

Usually babies have their first baby teeth around the age of 6 months, but it can happen that they erupt much earlier, in fact some children are born with a tooth. Teeth are often painful for our babies, and require some action on our part to relieve them. There is an order for the growth of teeth: the incisors grow first, and are followed by the canines and molars. At three years of age typically, baby’s 20 primary teeth have erupted, while permanent teeth are growing in his jawbone.

Caring for baby teeth

To guarantee good dental health in the long term, care must be taken for baby teeth, like permanent teeth. The health of permanent teeth depends in part on the health of primary teeth. For example, a decay on a baby tooth can be transmitted to permanent teeth.

Young children must therefore be accustomed to having good oral hygiene. You can start brushing your baby’s first teeth, from his first stick, with a special brush, suitable for babies. This first dental hygiene ritual will become natural for him, and will allow him to take care of his teeth when he is ready to do so.

For good toothbrushing, use a toothbrush and toothpaste appropriate for your child’s age. There are toothpastes for those under 3 and others for those under 7, you can easily find them in the shops. If in doubt, you can ask your pharmacist for advice.

When do the first baby teeth fall out?

The little mouse passes around your child’s 6 years old. Then, her baby teeth will fall out, and give way to permanent teeth one by one until she is 12 years old.

During these few years, your child will have what is called mixed dentition, i.e. his remaining baby teeth will coexist with the permanent teeth. By the age of 13, your child will have 28 permanent teeth. Then his wisdom teeth will grow until he is 18 years old, to finally have a jaw made up of 32 teeth.

Baby teeth usually fall out in the order in which they grew. Often times this results in a timeline that looks like this:

• Between 6 and 7 years: Fall of the temporary incisors;
• Between 7 and 9 years: Loss of the upper central incisors then lateral;
• Between 9 and 12 years: Fall of the lower, then upper canines as well as the lower and upper first molars;
• Between 11 and 13 years old: Loss of second molars.

These indications are fairly general. Your child can lose their teeth at a different rate, everyone is different. Only the order of tooth fall varies little, but the age at which this occurs is quite difficult to predict with accuracy.

Dentists have found, however, that girls develop faster teeth than boys. They usually lose their baby teeth earlier than boys. The age at which your baby has their first tooth eruption gives an indication of the age at which they will lose their first baby tooth. The earlier your child has their first tooth, the sooner they will have their first baby tooth fall.

What if the baby teeth do not fall out?

If you find that your child is slow to lose baby teeth, consider seeing a dentist or pedodentist (specializing in children’s dental care). They will be able to give you advice and examine your child’s teeth. In rare cases, tooth extraction may be necessary, if the baby tooth does not fall out on its own.

There can be several reasons when a child does not lose their temporary teeth:

• The definitive tooth may not exist. Only a dental x-ray can confirm this hypothesis. The extraction of the deciduous tooth will allow the other permanent teeth around to take its place. In the event that an implant should be placed in the future to fill the space of the missing final tooth, a so-called “hold” device will keep the space free for the implant until it can be placed.
• The final tooth has not yet finished growing : Here again, an X-ray will confirm the presence of a definitive tooth that is still immature in the gum. It will then be necessary to wait a little longer before the baby tooth falls out and gives way to it. A dental surgery may possibly be recommended, to pull the final tooth down, if it is not placed correctly.

Note that in France, health insurance offers a fully reimbursed dental examination for children aged 6 years. This exam can be an opportunity to take stock of your child’s dental health.

Is your child afraid of losing baby teeth?

Your child may be in a hurry to lose their first primary tooth, especially if a friend has already lost one or more teeth. But some children fear the loss of their baby teeth. Despite the imminent passage of the little mouse, they are afraid of hurting, afraid of having no more teeth … All these fears can be difficult to calm. A consultation with the pedodentist or the dentist can sometimes reassure your child, thanks to a more precise explanation of this process of tooth loss.

Some books dedicated to children tackle the subject of the loss of baby teeth and the passage of the little mouse. Thanks to funny and reassuring stories, your child will be able to find a certain comfort, and to approach the loss of his baby teeth more calmly.

Simon has lost his first tooth, and he’s particularly excited to watch the little mouse go by all night long! Luckily, he sees her, and follows her on an extraordinary adventure …

Mr. and Mrs. are very popular with children who are learning to read. When Mrs. Why learns that her neighbor has lost a tooth, and that the little mouse is going to come and retrieve it under her pillow, she is invaded by many questions, to which she wants to find answers …

During a family dinner, Mini-Loup loses a tooth. His mom then has to explain to him why this is happening. The next day, Mini-Loup fears the reaction of his friends, and tries to hide from them that he has lost a tooth. But now his friends are also starting to lose a tooth, and that’s normal, they are getting big.

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