When Do Babies Start Teething?

Teething is a rite of passage that every baby experiences. It’s a process that involves the movement of milk teeth – also known as baby teeth, primary teeth, or deciduous teeth – up, and then through the gums.

Unfortunately, although it’s completely natural and normal, it can be painful for babies and, in turn, stressful for their parents and caregivers.

To help you understand more about the teething timeline, we’ve created this guide to help you understand when teething starts, which of your baby’s teeth will appear first, how many teeth they’ll have, and when they’ll eventually get their adult teeth.

When do babies get teeth?

All babies start teething at slightly different times. For some, teething symptoms arrive, and their first teeth come in as early as three months, while others don’t start teething until after their first birthday. But usually, babies will start showing symptoms of teething when they’re around six months old, with their two bottom, front teeth appearing first.

How long does teething last?

Here’s a rough guide to how a baby’s teeth emerge and how long teething usually lasts.

• Bottom incisors (bottom front teeth): These are usually the first teeth to appear, usually at around six to 10 months.
• Top incisors (top front teeth): These usually come through from about eight to 12 months.
• Top lateral incisors (either side of the top front teeth): These appear at around nine to 13 months.
• Bottom lateral incisors (either side of the bottom front teeth): These come through at around 10 to 16 months.
• First molars (back teeth): These come through at around 13 to 19 months.
• Canines (often known as the ‘fang’ or ‘eye tooth’): These come through at around 16 to 23 months.
• Second molars: These come through at around 20 to 30 months.

When does teething stop?

Most little ones will have all 20 of their milk teeth by the time they’re around three years old.

When do you start brushing baby teeth?

You should begin brushing your baby’s teeth morning and night as soon as they appear through their gums.

How many baby teeth will my baby have?

By the time they’ve stopped teething, children have 20 milk teeth in total. That’s 10 on the top, and 10 on the bottom.

When do baby teeth fall out?

A child’s 20 milk teeth will usually begin to fall out around the age of six or seven to make way for their permanent adult teeth – of which there will be 32!