When Do Kids Lose Their Baby Teeth? A Parent's Guide

At Bites Odontopediatría in Vitacura, one of the questions parents ask us most often is when their child's baby teeth will start falling out. I'm Dra. Claudia Valenzuela, pediatric dentist, and in this guide I'll explain at what age tooth replacement happens, in what order, what's normal, and when it's worth a visit.

When tooth replacement starts

Tooth replacement usually begins around age 6 and finishes close to age 12-14. The first teeth to fall out are almost always the lower central incisors, the two bottom front teeth, which were also the first to come in when your child was a baby.

What matters is not the exact date each tooth is replaced, but that the process happens within a range considered normal.

Some children lose their first tooth at 5 and others closer to 7. Both are normal. If your child turns 7 or 8 without having lost a single tooth, an evaluation is worthwhile, but most of the time it's simply a slower calendar.

In what order they fall out

In general, replacement follows the same order in which the teeth came in:

Tooth	Approximate age
Lower central incisors	6 to 7 years
Upper central incisors	7 to 8 years
Lateral incisors	7 to 8 years
First baby molars	9 to 11 years
Canines	9 to 12 years
Second baby molars	10 to 12 years

Small variations in order or timing are completely normal.

Why a baby tooth falls out

They don't fall out "on their own" or at random. Underneath each baby tooth, the permanent tooth that will replace it is growing. As the permanent tooth moves up, it resorbs the root of the baby tooth. When the root is almost gone, the tooth is held by very little tissue, starts to wiggle, and eventually falls out. That famous loose tooth is the sign that the permanent one is on its way.

The molar that appears without anything falling out

This point confuses many parents. Around age 6, the first permanent molar erupts at the very back, without any baby tooth falling out. It's not a replacement; it's a new tooth coming in behind everything. It's one of the most important teeth in the mouth and one of the most prone to developing cavities, so it deserves care from the moment it appears and, in many cases, protection with a dental sealant.

"Shark teeth": when the permanent tooth comes in behind

Sometimes the permanent tooth erupts behind the baby tooth before it has fallen out, leaving a double row for a while. These are known as "shark teeth" and they scare parents more than they should. Most of the time they resolve on their own once the baby tooth finishes falling out and the tongue pushes the permanent tooth into place.

It's worth a visit if the baby tooth doesn't loosen within several weeks, or if the permanent tooth has fully erupted while the baby tooth stays firm. In those cases we sometimes help the baby tooth on its way.

When to see a pediatric dentist

• Very early loss (before age 4-5), especially after a knock or a cavity.
• No teeth lost by age 7-8.
• Pain, swelling, or signs of infection around a loose tooth.
• Marked asymmetry between one side of the mouth and the other.

One point that really matters: when a baby tooth is lost early because of a cavity, the space it was holding for the permanent tooth can be lost too. That's why treating cavities in baby teeth is not optional, and sometimes, if the loss already happened, we use a space maintainer so the permanent tooth has room to come in.

In short

Tooth replacement is a normal stage of development, a long one (it lasts about six years), and almost always uneventful. Good hygiene, regular checkups, and not panicking over every loose tooth is what works best. If anything about the shape, color, or order of the incoming teeth worries you, we can take a look at a short visit.