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 Children
whose teeth have not erupted within
6 months of the schedule should be
referred to a dentist for further
assessment and possible intervention.
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For most infants, primary teeth erupt
at around age 6 months, usually in right and left
pairs. These pairs alternate between the upper and
lower jaw, and eruption proceeds from the front of
the mouth to the back. By age 2 or 3, children usually
have all 20 primary teeth. At around age 5 or 6, children’s
teeth start to become loose. A tooth can remain loose
for some time before loss occurs. This can cause discomfort.
Usually the lower front teeth are the first to become
loose and then to be lost. This process is repeated
for the other teeth over the next 6 to 8 years.
Around the time that primary tooth loss
begins, a child’s first permanent molars (6-year
molars) may be erupting. The second permanent molars
(12-year molars) usually erupt at around age 12 or
13. The last permanent teeth to erupt are the third
molars, or “wisdom teeth,” which erupt
at around age 18.
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| Fig
1. Tooth Eruption Chart
(view
larger version)
Reproduced with permission from
the Arizona Department of Health Services, Office
of Oral Health, courtesy of Don Altman, D.D.S.,
M.P.H. The assistance of the American Dental
Hygienists’ Association is gratefully
acknowledged.
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Although variations in tooth
eruption (teething) and loss can be normal, such
variations can also be indicative of oral health problems.
Delayed eruption can result from syndromes, developmental
defects of the teeth, cysts, or tumors. This is discussed
in more detail in Module
3.
Children whose teeth have not erupted
within 6 months of the schedule presented in Figure
1 (left) should be referred to a dentist for further
assessment and possible intervention.
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