A baby’s first teeth (known as milk or deciduous teeth) usually develop while the child is growing in the womb. In most babies, these teeth start to emerge through the gums when they are around six months old. This process is known as teething.
The teething process
Most babies start teething at around six months. However, all babies are different and the timing of teething varies.
Some babies are born with their first teeth. Others start teething before they are four months old, and some after 12 months. Early teething should not cause a child any problems, unless it affects their feeding.
A rough guide to the different stages of teething is:
- bottom front teeth (incisors) – these are the first to come through, at around 5-7 months
- top front teeth (incisors) – these come through at around 6-8 months
- top lateral incisors (either side of the top front teeth) – these come through at around 9-11 months
- bottom lateral incisors (either side of the bottom front teeth) – these come through at around 10-12 months
- canines (towards the back of the mouth) – these come through at around 16-20 months
- molars (back teeth) – these come through at around 12-16 months
- second molars – these come through at around 20-30 months
Most children will have all of their milk teeth by the time they are two and a half years old.
Some babies show very few signs or symptoms of teething, while others find it painful. However, there are lots of ways you can make teething easier for your child, such as:
- giving your baby something hard to chew on, such as a teething ring
- using sugar-free teething gel on your baby if they are more than four months old
See Teething - treatment for more information.
