Most babies get their first tooth around 6 months of age, though it can appear as early as 4 months or as late as 12 months. The full set of 20 baby teeth typically comes in by age 2 to 3. The timing varies widely from child to child, and a few months early or late is perfectly normal.
When the First Teeth Appear
Teething pain can start as early as 4 months, even before any tooth is visible. The two bottom front teeth (lower central incisors) are almost always the first to break through the gum line, usually between 6 and 10 months. The two upper front teeth follow shortly after. From there, teeth tend to fill in from front to back: the lateral incisors (the ones flanking the front teeth) come next, then the first molars, canines, and finally the second molars.
If your baby hasn’t sprouted a tooth by 12 months, that’s still within the range of normal. However, if no teeth have appeared by 18 months, it’s worth scheduling a visit with a pediatric dentist for an evaluation.
The Full Teething Timeline
Here’s roughly when each group of teeth tends to arrive:
- Bottom front teeth: 6 to 10 months
- Top front teeth: 8 to 12 months
- Lateral incisors: 9 to 13 months
- First molars: 13 to 19 months (upper), 14 to 18 months (lower)
- Canines: 16 to 22 months
- Second molars: 25 to 33 months (upper), 23 to 31 months (lower)
The second molars, arriving in the back of the mouth between roughly age 2 and 3, are the last baby teeth to come in. Once those are through, teething is over until permanent teeth start replacing baby teeth around age 6.
What Teething Feels Like for Your Baby
Each new tooth can cause discomfort for about 3 to 8 days, starting a few days before the tooth breaks through the gum and tapering off shortly after. During that window, you may notice your baby drooling more than usual, chewing or biting on anything within reach, acting fussy or irritable, sleeping poorly, or eating less. The gums where a tooth is about to emerge often look red, swollen, and tender.
Occasionally, a blue-grey bubble appears on the gum right where the tooth is pushing through. This is called an eruption cyst, and it looks more alarming than it is. It typically resolves on its own once the tooth comes in.
Molars tend to cause more discomfort than front teeth simply because they’re larger and have a broader surface pushing through the gum. Many parents notice a noticeable uptick in fussiness when the first molars arrive around 13 to 19 months and again when the second molars come in closer to age 2.
Teething and Fever: What’s Real
A common belief is that teething causes fevers, but the evidence doesn’t support it. Studies have found that while a baby’s body temperature may rise slightly around the time a tooth erupts, the increase stays below 100.4°F, which is the threshold for a true fever. If your baby has a temperature of 100.4°F or higher, something else is going on, and teething shouldn’t be treated as the explanation.
The confusion is understandable. Babies teethe for months during the same period they’re encountering common childhood illnesses for the first time. Symptoms like runny nose, rash, diarrhea, and changes in sleep or eating patterns often overlap with teething episodes, but they’re more likely signs of a mild infection than a side effect of a new tooth.
Safe Ways to Ease the Pain
The simplest relief is also the safest: a clean, chilled (not frozen) teething ring or a cold washcloth for your baby to chew on. Gently rubbing your baby’s gums with a clean finger can also help. The counter-pressure soothes the area where the tooth is pushing through.
What you should avoid is more important than what you try. The FDA warns against using over-the-counter teething gels or liquids that contain numbing agents like benzocaine. These products carry a risk of a rare but serious condition that reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. Prescription numbing solutions are also dangerous for infants and young children, with risks including seizures, heart problems, and severe brain injury. The FDA’s position is clear: numbing gels offer little benefit for teething and carry risks that aren’t worth taking.
Amber teething necklaces and similar jewelry also pose choking and strangulation hazards without any proven benefit. Stick with simple, mechanical relief: something cold, something safe to chew on, and patience. Each teething episode is short-lived, even when it doesn’t feel that way at 3 a.m.
When Baby Teeth Start Falling Out
Baby teeth fall out in roughly the same order they came in. The bottom front teeth loosen first, typically around age 6 or 7, followed by the top front teeth. The process of losing all 20 baby teeth and replacing them with permanent ones continues into the early teen years. A second round of “teething” discomfort can happen as permanent molars push through, though older children handle it more easily than infants do.