When Do Children's Front Top Teeth Come In?

Primary Front Top Teeth

• A child's first teeth are the primary teeth, which begin to appear when a baby is about six months old. The front top teeth, also called the upper central incisors, erupt between eight and 12 months. They are usually the second pair to come in, following the lower front teeth. Primary teeth continue to come in periodically, with an average of four new teeth every six months, until all 20 primary teeth are in place at about 3 years of age.

Signs of Teething

• A baby often exhibits signs of teething before a tooth breaks through the gum, although the symptoms vary from child to child. Among the most common indicators are drooling, which may start up to two months before the tooth appears, swollen gums and irritability or crankiness. An infant may also try to chew on solid objects. Parents can ease some of the child's discomfort by massaging the gums with a clean finger or cool, damp washcloth and by providing a teething ring to chew on.

Losing Primary Teeth

• When a child is about 6 years old, the primary teeth begin to fall out to make way for the permanent teeth, usually in the same order in which they appeared. The front top teeth generally are the second pair to go. The process of losing all of the baby teeth takes about six years and overlaps the emergence of the new teeth, so a child has both primary and permanent teeth in the mouth at the same time.

Permanent Front Teeth

• After the upper front teeth come out, a child may sport a gap-toothed grin for a few months until the permanent upper central incisors come in at 7 or 8 years old. As with the baby teeth, these are usually the second pair to appear. The rest of the permanent teeth emerge at a rate of about one pair every year until the second molars come in when the child is about 12 years old. After that point, there is a gap of several years before the third set of molars, often called wisdom teeth, begin to erupt.