21 February 2012Let’s talk about understanding how babies develop teeth. Baby teeth play an important role in helping a child take his first steps towards talking a well as chewing foods. What concerns most parents is actually the time frame for the growth of baby teeth, which could be normal or unusual. However, all parents need to understand that every child is different, regardless of the time frame that is generally considered normal for the development of baby teeth.
The whole process of the growth of your baby’s teeth may take up to three years. It all starts from the womb, when your baby undergoes the development of small tooth buds beneath the gums. The tooth buds later turn into baby teeth, which are also referred to as milk teeth. The roots of baby teeth will eventually dissolve, making them fall out and get replaced by permanent teeth.
In most cases, the first tooth starts emerging when the baby is 4-7 months of age with the central incisors coming up first. After around four to eight weeks, the four middle teeth or lateral incisors start appearing. This further leads to the emergence of lower lateral incisors following four weeks. And as the baby keeps growing, all teeth buds will start popping up until the set of teeth is completed by the age of 3 years. The baby teeth will start falling out naturally once the child has turned 6 years old until the last baby tooth falls out at the age of 12 or 13.