The period when a child begins to lose primary teeth and gain permanent ones is known as mixed dentition. This transitional stage typically begins around age six and continues until age twelve, meaning the mouth contains a mixture of baby and adult teeth. Jaw and facial bones grow to accommodate the larger permanent teeth. Understanding this phase helps parents support their child’s developing oral health.
Which Permanent Teeth Erupt Around Age Eight
The permanent teeth typically erupting around age eight are the incisors, the flat, chisel-shaped teeth at the front of the mouth. By this age, the central incisors (two lower and two upper) have usually already erupted, having emerged between ages six and seven. The focus at age eight is often on the lateral incisors, which flank the central ones.
The lower lateral incisors typically emerge between ages seven and eight. The upper lateral incisors usually appear between ages eight and nine. At age eight, a child is often actively shedding the primary lateral incisors and seeing the emergence of their permanent replacements. The first permanent molars, often called the “six-year molars,” should also be confirmed, as they erupt behind the primary teeth and do not replace any baby teeth.
The Complete Eruption Sequence
The emergence of the incisors completes the first phase of permanent tooth eruption. The remaining permanent teeth—the canines, premolars, and second molars—follow a specific order over the next few years.
Sequence of Remaining Teeth
- The lower canines, appearing around ages nine to ten.
- The first premolars (bicuspids), which replace the primary molars, erupting between ages ten and eleven.
- The second premolars, following between ages ten and twelve.
- The upper canines, emerging relatively late between ages eleven and twelve.
- The second molars, sometimes called the “twelve-year molars,” emerging at the back of the mouth between ages eleven and thirteen, completing the set of 28 permanent teeth.
Dental Care During Mixed Dentition
The mixed dentition period presents unique challenges for oral hygiene because the mouth contains teeth of different sizes and positions. Newly erupted permanent teeth are often unevenly aligned, creating difficult-to-reach areas where plaque can accumulate. Thorough flossing is necessary to clean the tight spaces between the permanent teeth and the adjacent primary teeth.
Temporary gaps, sometimes called diastemas, can appear between the newly erupted incisors. This is a common developmental stage that often closes as the canines emerge and push the front teeth together. Regular dental check-ups, typically every six months, are important for monitoring alignment and spacing. Dentists often recommend applying dental sealants to the chewing surfaces of the newly erupted first and second molars to protect them from decay.