Baby Teeth Coming In Out Of Order? All The Things You Need To Know
Are your baby’s first teeth coming out? I know you are excited to see them poke out. Normally, most babies will start teething when they are around six months old. But sometimes Mother Nature has her own schedule hence some babies might teeth a little bit later. Don’t get worried if your baby’s teeth come in out of order or if they delay to pop out.
The first teeth that usually pop out in most babies are the bottom front teeth. Do you know that the development of a baby’s primary teeth begins while they are still in their mother’s womb? By the time they are being born, they have all the 20 teeth fully developed but hidden under the jaw.
Is There An Order Through Which The Baby Teeth Come In?
The answer to this question is yes. There is a general order through which a baby’s teeth usually erupt. Below is the general timeline that estimates the order of teething in a baby:
• Between the ages of 6 to 10 months, the front bottom teeth will start poking out of your baby’s gum.
• Between 8 to 12 months the upper front teeth begin to emerge. They are the top incisors. A month or two later, they are followed by the top lateral incisors. By the time the baby is 13 or 14 months old, the number of teeth that would have grown will be 5.
• The second bottom incisors emerge at around 12 to 16 months. During this period, your baby will be able to bite things. She might even start biting your nipples if she is still breastfeeding just to test if her new set of teeth are working properly.
• Next teeth that will pop out are the first set of molars at around 14 to 19 months. The upper ones will come in first followed by the lower ones.
• Next to emerge are the upper canines at around 18 to 22 months. A month later the lower ones are on their way too.
• Lastly, at between your baby’s 23rd and 31st month on this earth, the lower second molars erupt followed by the upper ones after a month.
There she has it. With a set of 20 teeth, your baby is now ready to chew like never before.
Are Your Baby Teeth Coming In Out Of Order?
Since every baby has a different timetable, don’t fret if your baby has different plans as to when her teeth should erupt. So sometimes your baby’s teeth might take a little longer to grow, or in some cases, they might erupt earlier than usual, as early as 4 months.
The teeth might also erupt in different patterns as compared to the general pattern. For example, the front upper teeth might decide to come out first. When this happens, there is no need to get worried. It doesn’t matter in what order the teeth are coming in as long as your baby will be having 20 set of teeth by the time they are 3 years old.
What You Should Look Out For In Your Baby’s Teething Process?
The order with which your baby’s teeth come in should not be one of your concerns. What you should be keen to take note on is the spacing between the teeth. For a normal growth of primary teeth there should be some spacing between the teeth. This is because the baby’s primary teeth are smaller in size than the permanent ones. Therefore, the spacing between them is to ensure that there is enough spacing for the future growth of permanent teeth.
If your baby has not experienced any growth of teeth by the time they are one and a half years old, that’s the time you can start to get worried and start seeing your dentist.
Though the primary teeth will eventually be shed off in order for the permanent ones to take their place, you should ensure that your baby’s primary teeth are in a healthy condition. One of the problems that a baby’s teeth might experience is tooth decay and infections that can cause a lot of discomfort when feeding.
Conclude
In recap, there is nothing wrong with baby teeth coming in out of order. This is because there is some genetic input in the order with which babies’ teeth erupt. Therefore, the teeth might come in at different times and in a different order in different babies.
So when your baby’s teeth start coming out at 12 months, just be patient and let Mother Nature handle her business in the way she sees it fit. Should your baby's gums remain plain without white things popping out even after she has hit 18 months, then something might be wrong. In that case, you should see a dentist straight away.
