A 14-month-old with no teeth is later than average but still within the normal range. Most babies get their first tooth between 6 and 12 months, yet the full window for a normal first tooth stretches from 4 to 15 months. Some perfectly healthy babies are simply late bloomers, and teeth can appear rapidly once they finally start.
That said, 14 months without a single tooth is worth paying attention to. Here’s what could be going on, what actually matters for your child’s development, and when it’s time to get a professional involved.
Why Some Babies Teethe Much Later
The single biggest factor in late teething is genetics. If you or your partner were late teethers, your baby likely will be too. Ask your parents or in-laws when your first tooth came in. Family patterns of delayed eruption are common and completely benign.
Beyond genetics, several other factors can push the timeline back:
- Premature birth. Babies born before 30 weeks or under about 2.2 pounds at birth tend to get their first tooth significantly later. Research from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry found that the severity of neonatal illness, time spent on a breathing tube, and early nutritional challenges together accounted for nearly half the variation in when a first tooth appeared. Healthy preemies usually catch up on their own timeline.
- Vitamin D levels. A systematic review found that infants with low vitamin D were 2.5 times more likely to experience delayed teething compared to infants with adequate levels. The delayed teething group had notably lower average blood vitamin D levels (20.3 ng/mL versus 26.8 ng/mL in the on-time group). If your baby hasn’t been getting a vitamin D supplement or much sun exposure, this is worth discussing with your pediatrician.
- Nutritional factors more broadly. Calcium intake, overall growth rate, and how quickly a baby transitioned to full feedings after birth all correlate with eruption timing.
In rarer cases, delayed teething can signal an underlying condition. Hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency, Down syndrome, and certain genetic conditions like ectodermal dysplasia are all associated with late or absent tooth formation. These conditions almost always come with other noticeable symptoms, though, not just missing teeth.
When Late Teething Needs a Closer Look
Healthline and pediatric dental guidelines generally recommend bringing your baby to a dentist if no teeth have appeared by 12 months. If you haven’t done that yet, now is a good time. A first eruption anywhere between 12 and 24 months is considered atypical, which doesn’t mean something is wrong, but it does mean it’s reasonable to investigate.
At a dental visit, the dentist will feel along your baby’s gums for bumps or ridges that signal teeth sitting just below the surface. If nothing is palpable, a small X-ray can confirm whether tooth buds are present and developing normally underneath the gum line. In the vast majority of cases, the teeth are there and simply haven’t broken through yet.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first dental visit by age 12 months regardless of whether teeth have appeared. So if your baby hasn’t seen a dentist yet, this gives you two reasons to schedule that appointment.
Feeding and Speech Are Not Affected
One of the biggest worries parents have at this stage is whether missing teeth will hold their child back. The reassuring answer: they won’t. The temporary absence of teeth during late infancy doesn’t affect speech development, feeding skills, or other developmental milestones.
Your baby’s gums are surprisingly effective at breaking down soft foods. Well-cooked vegetables, soft fruits, ground meats, scrambled eggs, and similar textures can all be managed perfectly well without teeth. Don’t hold off on introducing new food textures just because teeth haven’t shown up. Gums do the job.
Taking Care of Your Baby’s Mouth Right Now
Even without teeth, your baby’s mouth needs some basic care. After feedings, wrap a clean, damp washcloth around your index finger and gently massage along the gum line. This removes milk residue and bacteria, keeps the gums healthy, and has a bonus benefit: it gets your baby accustomed to having their mouth cleaned, which makes the transition to a toothbrush much smoother once teeth do arrive.
Once that first tooth finally breaks through, switch to a soft infant toothbrush with a rice-grain-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste.
What Usually Happens Next
For most late teethers, the first tooth appears somewhere between 14 and 18 months, and then several teeth often follow in quick succession. The lower front teeth (central incisors) typically come first, followed by the upper front teeth. Late starters don’t necessarily stay behind. Many catch up to their peers’ tooth count within a year of that first eruption.
One small upside to late teething: teeth that come in later have had less time exposed to sugars and bacteria, so late teethers sometimes have a slightly lower early cavity risk. That advantage only lasts if good oral hygiene habits start right away.
If your baby is growing well, meeting other developmental milestones, and your pediatrician isn’t concerned about underlying conditions, a toothless grin at 14 months is almost certainly just your child’s individual pace. A quick dental visit can confirm that the teeth are forming normally beneath the gums and give you a clearer picture of when to expect them.