My baby is 9 months old. His front teeth have not come in. However, the teeth next to them have come in. Is this normal? Do I need to worry about the teeth not being about to stay in place?
Callie
Dear Callie,
First, don’t panic. It is not unheard of for the lateral incisors to erupt before the central incisors. Though typically the central ones will come in first, our bodies do not always obey schedules well. As your son ages, he will develop in his own time. This isn’t just physical development. Children have a wide variety in the timing of their intellectual and emotional development as well.
If the central ones don’t pop out in the next few months, then you can take him to see a pediatric dentist. They’ll do an x-ray to see if there actually are teeth under there to erupt. If there are congenitally missing teeth, that’s okay too. Dentists have dealt with this for years and know the solutions so your son can have a healthy, beautiful smile.
You’ll want your son to have a checkup around that time anyway. It is always best to make sure your child’s first experience at the dentist is a fun, positive one when there are not problems, than it is to wait for them to get older and develop a cavity.
Here is a schedule which provides general guidelines for when teeth will erupt in children. But, remember, as Captain Barbossa reminds us, “They are more guidelines than actual rules.”
Lower Central Incisors – 6 to 10 months
Upper Central incisors – 8 to 12 months
Lower Lateral Incisors – 10 to 16 months
Upper Lateral Incisors – 9 to 13 months
Lower Cuspid (Canine) – 17 to 23 months
Upper Cuspid (Canine) – 16 to 22 months
Lower First Molar – 14 to 18 months
Upper First Molar – 13 to 19 months
Lower Second Molar – 23 to 31 months
Upper Second Molar – 25 to 33 months
I hope this helps. This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist William Becker.