When Do Baby Teeth Normally Fall Out?

It is pretty exciting when a child loses their first baby tooth, because this represents the next stage of a child’s life. But losing that first tooth can be a source of worry if it occurs too early or not soon enough. You might be wondering when your child’s baby teeth should fall out.

Losing Baby Teeth

Children often don't hit milestones right on schedule, including the loss of baby teeth! However, many children typically lose their first tooth by the time they’re six or seven. Then baby teeth then continue to fall out following the order in which they came in. Tooth loss can occur sooner or later than anticipated.

It’s not unheard of for a child to lose their first tooth before they turn five. That first tooth might even stick around until the child is 8 years old. This isn’t how it typically happens, but there’s usually no cause for alarm. In most cases, when a child loses the first tooth depends on when it grew.

The first tooth usually appears by the time a baby is 6 months old. But that cute little center tooth might pop up at 3 months. It’s even possible the first tooth won’t appear until after you’ve celebrated baby’s first birthday. Keep track of when your child grows new baby teeth. This can give you an idea of when the child is likely to start losing teeth. The sooner the first tooth appears, the sooner it will fall out.


Possible Cause for Concern

As a general rule, tooth loss shouldn’t occur before the child’s fourth birthday. Losing a tooth that soon could indicate a problem. Losing the first tooth after the seventh birthday could also mean there’s a problem. In either case, you might want to book a consultation at Crossley Orthodontics for an examination and X-rays. There’s probably nothing wrong, but it doesn’t hurt to see what's going on beneath the surface.

A baby tooth shouldn't fall out until a permanent tooth is ready to appear. The permanent tooth grows below the baby tooth. Eventually, the new tooth pushes the baby tooth out of its place. It’s also possible that your child will experience premature tooth loss. This means a baby tooth has fallen out before the growth of a permanent tooth. Perhaps the child took a hard fall or got hit with a toy.

In addition to premature loss, delayed loss can indicate a problem as well. There is a rare occurrence in which a child develops a mesiodens. That’s a technical way of saying the child has developed one or more extra teeth. The extra teeth can block permanent teeth, and prevent them from growing normally. This abnormality occurs in about 1% of the population, and it’s a main cause of delayed loss of baby teeth.

Do you have more questions about this topic? Contact Crossley Orthodontics today with your questions or concerns...we are happy to help! (214) 556.6868