How Many Baby Teeth Do Humans Normally Have?

Humans normally have 20 baby, or primary, teeth. These teeth are deciduous, meaning they eventually fall out to give rise to permanent teeth starting in pre-adolescence.

Types

• Baby teeth include central incisors, lateral incisors, cuspids (or canines), first molars, and secondary molars. Each quadrant of the mouth has one of each, for a total of five in each quadrant.

Time Frame

• Most infants get their first baby teeth at between six and 12 months of age. By age 3, most children have all of their 20 baby teeth.

  Central incisors come first (6 to 8 months) followed by the lateral incisors (8 to 11 months). First molars follow the lateral incisors (10 to 16 months). Then the canines come in (16 to 20 months), followed by the secondary molars (20 to 33 months).

Effects

• Baby teeth start to fall out at the age of 7, and permanent teeth start to appear. By age 12, all the baby teeth are replaced by permanent teeth.