When Do Baby Teeth Start To Fall Out?

Do you find yourself asking your children's dentist or orthodontist; "At what age should the first baby tooth be lost?" or "When should should the last one fall out?"

Well the first baby teeth (also known as primary teeth) to come in are usually the lower central incisors around the age of six months. The last baby teeth to show up are the upper second primary molars, and they appear between 30 - 36 months of age. There are normally 20 baby teeth by the time a child reaches age 3. These primary teeth then remain unchanged for about 3 years.

Not much happens to the baby teeth between 3 and 6 years of age. Between 6 - 8 years however, there is a great amount of activity as kids normally lose 8 primary teeth in rapid succession. Between age 8 and age 10 there is another 2 year pause that catches many parents by surprise since they have become accustomed to teeth being lost left and right. the last twelve primary teeth are then lost between the ages 10 - 13.

The following chart summarizes primary tooth loss:

Ages 3-6: Not much happens
Ages 6-8: First 8 baby teeth are lost
Ages 8-10: Again, not much happens
Ages 10-13: Last twelve baby teeth are lost