Baby Teething Age

When our tiny tot is born, all of us look forward to each milestone with bated breath. The first time the baby rolls over, his first step, his first word and his first tooth. Yes, many parents wait for their baby to sprout their first tooth. However, not many people are aware of the actual baby teething age. While there are cases where some babies are born with teeth in their mouth, which are known as natal teeth, this is relatively rare. Before we see when a baby actually does get its first set of teeth, let's try to understand what happens before and during eruption.

Tooth Formation and Eruption

Many of you may be shocked to know that the formation of teeth begins in the womb itself. Yes, it is in utero that the teeth buds begin to form. However, after the baby is born, it takes a few months before the tooth becomes visible in the oral cavity, that is, the tooth erupts. So, when do babies start teething? Well, in most cases the baby will have his first tooth erupting around the age of six months. There is quite a lot of variation when it comes to the baby teething age. 3 months to one year - that is the variation! Yes, some babies may even have teeth erupting at the age of three months while some may even start teething after a year.

Baby Teething Age Chart

The different teeth in the baby's mouth erupt at different points of time. This is because some of them take longer to fully form. While the teeth are erupting, that is, when there is infant teething, the roots of the teeth are still incompletely formed. A baby has a dentition which consists of a total of twenty teeth, ten in the upper arch and ten in the lower arch. These teeth are the central incisors (2), lateral incisors (2), canines (2) and molars (4). The details about the eruption schedule of each is given in the chart below.

Tooth	Age of Eruption in Months
Upper central incisors	10
Upper lateral incisors	11
Upper canines	19
Upper first molars	6
Upper second molars	29
Lower central incisors	8
Lower lateral incisors	13
Lower canines	20
Lower first molars	16
Lower second molars	27

Baby Teething Symptoms

So, now you know when there are symptoms of infant teething, what age the teething occurs at varies from one toddler to another but the baby teething symptoms seen in most babies are the same. Baby teething fever is usually seen when the teeth begin to erupt. Your baby may be irritable, he may refuse to eat and may also cry a lot. One can always opt for some simple baby teething remedies. Some doctors say that it may not be the eruption of tooth directly leading to the fever. However, this fever should still be taken seriously and if the baby refuses to eat for a long time, then you should ideally visit a doctor.

This was all about the baby teething age for each tooth of the primary dentition. The milk teeth are often taken very lightly and people do not tend so much to the dental health of a small child. However, one must take active measures toward maintaining dental care of baby's teeth. This is because due to feeding habits, these teeth may easily get spoiled or the baby may end up with tooth decay. So, as soon as you realize that the teething age has been attained by your little one, you should take active measures to ensure that you clean the mouth of your child after every feed with a piece of cotton or gauze stuck to your finger. And if you feel that even after a year or so, your baby is not showing any teething symptoms, then it will be best to visit a pedodontist and get your child's condition evaluated and treated accordingly.