Baby Teeth Timeline | Tribeca, NYC
When Do Baby Teeth Fall Out? The Usual Timeline and What Is Normal
In short: Most children lose their first baby tooth around age six and their last around age ten to twelve. The lower front teeth usually go first, followed by the upper front teeth, then the teeth along the sides, with the back molars and canines finishing last. The order matters more than the exact birthday. A tooth that is months early or late is usually just your child's own pace.
The first loose tooth is a milestone families remember, and it usually arrives with a mix of excitement and questions. Parents in our Tribeca office often ask whether a tooth came out too soon, whether a classmate losing teeth earlier means something is wrong, or why one tooth is hanging on long after its neighbor left. The short answer is that the range of normal is wide, and the pattern of loss tells us far more than any single date on the calendar.
Baby teeth fall out because the permanent teeth underneath are on the move. As a permanent tooth travels toward the surface, it slowly dissolves the root of the baby tooth above it. With less and less root holding it, the baby tooth loosens, wiggles for a while, and finally comes out, usually making room at just the right moment. This guide walks through the usual sequence by age, the variations we see every week, and the few situations where an x-ray gives a clear and reassuring answer.
The usual sequence, from first tooth to last
Teeth tend to leave in roughly the order they arrived. The lower front teeth, called the central incisors, are usually first, most often between ages six and seven. The upper front teeth follow close behind, and many children lose their four front teeth, top and bottom, within the first year or two of elementary school. Those early gaps are the classic first-grade smile, and the permanent front teeth usually grow in over the following months.
Next come the side teeth. The lateral incisors, beside the front teeth, are typically lost between seven and nine. Then the picture pauses a little before a busier stretch: the canines and the first baby molars are usually lost between nine and eleven, and the second baby molars finish the process between ten and twelve. By about age twelve or thirteen, most children have a full set of permanent teeth except for the wisdom teeth, which arrive much later, if at all.
- Ages 6 to 7: lower front teeth, then upper front teeth
- Ages 7 to 9: the side front teeth, called lateral incisors
- Ages 9 to 11: canines and first baby molars
- Ages 10 to 12: second baby molars, usually the last to go
- Girls often run slightly ahead of boys, which is normal
A timeline by age band
At five to six, some children already have a wiggly lower front tooth while others show no looseness at all, and both can be perfectly normal. This is also when the first permanent molars erupt behind the baby teeth, without any tooth falling out first. Parents often miss them because no gap announces their arrival, which is one reason checkups matter in these years: those new molars need sealants and attention from the start.
From seven to nine, the front teeth exchange is in full swing, and smiles change month to month. From nine to twelve, the back teeth take their turn, and this stretch can feel slow because molars have bigger roots that take longer to dissolve. A baby molar may wiggle on and off for months before it finally lets go. Through all of it, symmetry is a helpful guide: teeth on the left and right usually follow each other within a few months.
Why the range of normal is so wide
Children who got their baby teeth early as infants often lose them early as well, and late teeth tend to run on a late schedule at both ends. Genetics plays a large role, so a parent who remembers losing teeth late in elementary school may well see the same pattern in their child. Nutrition, overall growth, and simple individual variation fill in the rest of the picture. A difference of six months, or even a year, from a chart rarely concerns us by itself.
What we watch instead is the pattern. Is the matching tooth on the other side doing roughly the same thing? Are new permanent teeth appearing in a sensible order? Is anything stuck, with a permanent tooth clearly in and a baby tooth refusing to budge? Those pattern questions, answered at regular checkups, catch the small number of cases that need help long before they become bigger problems for your child.
Teeth that fall out early or hang on late
A baby tooth can leave early for reasons that have nothing to do with the permanent tooth's schedule. A fall on the playground, a deep cavity, or an infection can cost a tooth years before its replacement is ready. Early loss matters because neighboring teeth drift into the empty space, and the permanent tooth may later find its doorway partly blocked. That is why an early loss deserves a visit: sometimes a simple space maintainer holds the spot open until nature is ready.
Late loss has its own list of causes. Sometimes the permanent tooth is simply developing slowly. Sometimes it is off its path and erupting at an angle, so it misses the baby tooth's root and never dissolves it. Occasionally a child has an extra tooth, or is missing the permanent tooth altogether, so nothing pushes the baby tooth out. Crowding can also slow the exchange. A baby tooth still firmly in place well past its usual window is worth a look, not worry.
Shark teeth, and when an x-ray answers the question
Shark teeth sound alarming and look dramatic: a row of permanent teeth erupting behind the baby teeth, most often the lower front teeth, so your child briefly has two rows like a shark. It happens when the permanent tooth starts a little behind its usual path and the baby root does not dissolve on schedule. In many cases, once the baby tooth comes out, the tongue naturally nudges the permanent tooth forward into place over the following weeks.
When the timeline, a stuck tooth, or a shark-tooth row leaves a real question, a single x-ray answers it. The image shows where each permanent tooth is, how much baby root remains, and whether anything is extra, missing, or off course. That turns guessing into a plan: wait and watch, help a tooth along, or hold space. One firm rule through all of this: never force a tooth out. A tooth that is ready comes out with gentle wiggling; a tooth that resists is telling you its root is still there.
How we handle tooth timing at TDS 4 Kids
At Tribeca Dental Studio 4 Kids, we track your child's tooth exchange at every regular checkup, comparing both sides and watching the order of loss and eruption. Most children need nothing more than that quiet monitoring, and we will tell you when a wiggly tooth is simply on its own schedule. If a tooth is lost early, hangs on late, or a permanent tooth is erupting off path, we explain what the x-ray shows and what, if anything, we recommend doing about it.
Parents leave knowing the plan for their own child, not a generic chart. Sometimes that plan is a space maintainer, sometimes a gentle extraction of a baby tooth that has overstayed, and often it is simply reassurance with a date to recheck. Call us at +1 212-561-5303 to book. We are open Monday to Friday 8 AM to 6 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 4 PM, with select Sundays.
Questions parents ask us
01What age do most kids lose their first tooth?
Most children lose a first tooth around age six, usually a lower front tooth. Some start at five and others not until seven, and both ends of that range are common and healthy. Children who teethed early as babies often lose teeth early too. Mention the timing at a regular checkup and we will confirm the pattern looks right.
02My child has shark teeth. Is that an emergency?
Shark teeth are common and not an emergency. The permanent tooth has erupted behind a baby tooth that has not let go yet. If the baby tooth is loose, gentle wiggling usually finishes the job, and the permanent tooth drifts forward. If the baby tooth is firm, sore, or unchanged after a few weeks, book a visit so we can check it.
03Should I pull a loose baby tooth at home?
If a tooth is hanging by a thread and your child wants it out, gentle wiggling with clean hands is fine. Never force a tooth that resists, and skip the string-and-doorknob tricks, which can tear gum tissue and frighten your child. A tooth that is ready comes out easily. One that is not ready is better left alone or checked by us.
04What if a baby tooth never falls out?
Occasionally a permanent tooth is missing, extra, or erupting off path, so the baby tooth's root never dissolves and it stays put. An x-ray shows exactly which situation your child has. Depending on the finding, we may watch it, remove the baby tooth to help the permanent one in, or plan around a missing tooth as your child grows.
05My child lost a tooth early in a fall. What now?
Book a visit soon so we can check the area, make sure no part of the tooth remains, and look at the developing permanent tooth on an x-ray. Because neighboring teeth drift into early gaps, we may recommend a space maintainer to hold the spot. Early attention here prevents a crowded, harder problem when the permanent tooth is ready to erupt.
06Is it normal for teeth to fall out unevenly?
Small differences between sides are normal, but the matching tooth on the other side usually follows within a few months. If one tooth is lost and its partner is still rock solid six months later, or a permanent tooth appears with no sign of the baby tooth loosening, that asymmetry is worth an x-ray and a look at what is happening underneath.
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Visit us in Tribeca
Tribeca Dental Studio 4 Kids is at 54 Warren St, New York, NY 10007 — (212) 561-5303. We are open Monday–Friday 8 AM–6 PM and Saturday 9 AM–4 PM, with select Sundays. Families visit us from Tribeca, Battery Park City, the Financial District, SoHo, Greenwich Village, the West Village, the East Village, Lower Manhattan, the Meatpacking District, and Hudson Yards.