When Does Teething Start?
Your baby is born with a set of 20 teeth hidden beneath the gums. Teething is the process of these teeth working their way through the gums. The first teeth normally appear between six and 10 months of age with the rest following over the next two to three years. Teeth usually emerge in pairs. This is a guide; each child is different.
It is important that these first teeth are kept healthy, as they each keep a place for the adult teeth that come later. The natural loss of a baby's first teeth and arrival of adult teeth usually happens between the ages of six years and 12 years. The first adult molars to appear are four molars. They come in behind the baby molars.
The process of teething can usually be broken down into five distinct stages - although some babies will not follow this at all.
Stage 1. Teething discomfort can start well before teeth even come through. You can often feel the teeth that are about to merge; gently run the tip of your finger over your baby's gums. You should be able to feel the teeth just below the gum.
Stage 2. The first four teeth (the incisors) are usually the first to appear. seeing the emergency of the first tooth is often a happy occasion for parents. Teeth often emerge in pairs. It is usually the two upper teeth that erupt first.
Stage 3. The first molars follow next - they sit right behind the canine teeth.
Stage 4. The cannines then follow.
Stage 4. The second molars are usually the last to appear. For many babies, the emergence of these large teeth can often be the most painful.