Baby Teeth Falling Out: When It Happens and in What Order

One evening at dinner, your child cries out: "My tooth is wobbly!" For days they wiggle it with their tongue, show it to the whole family, and then it drops out into a piece of bread. Baby teeth falling out is a big moment, and it always raises the same questions: at what age, in what order, should we help, and what if the permanent tooth comes in crooked?

Here are the landmarks, and the two situations that call for a dentist: the permanent tooth growing in behind, and a knock to a tooth.

At what age do baby teeth fall out?

Around 5 or 6 years, according to the Canadian Paediatric Society. The 20 baby teeth gradually make way for 32 permanent teeth (wisdom teeth included). The French health insurer Assurance Maladie points out that baby teeth have a limited lifespan: between 6 and 13 years depending on the tooth.

The mechanism is simple. The permanent tooth, which forms in the bone beneath the baby tooth, grows and "nibbles" at the baby tooth's root. With no root left, the baby tooth wobbles, then falls out. That is why it comes out painlessly, and sometimes without your child even noticing.

The timetable varies from child to child, often in line with the age of their first teeth. A child whose teeth came in late usually loses them later too.

In what order do they fall out?

Generally in the order they appeared, from front to back. Here are the usual ages, from the table published by Dentaly and reviewed by a dental surgeon:

The first tooth to fall out is therefore often a lower incisor. Between 8 and 9, many children hit a pause: the front teeth are done, the back ones are still waiting.

One tooth arrives without replacing any: the first permanent molar, known as the "six-year molar". It comes in at the back of the mouth, behind the last baby molars, around 6 to 7 years. Parents often mistake it for a baby tooth, yet it is permanent and needs careful brushing from the moment it appears, because its grooves easily trap food debris.

A wobbly tooth: should you help it along?

No. A wobbly baby tooth ends up falling out on its own, without pain or complications. Pulling it can hurt the gum and let germs in, especially with dirty hands, Dentaly points out.

What helps:

• letting your child wiggle it gently with the tongue;
• offering crunchy foods if they feel like it (apple, carrot), without forcing;
• carrying on brushing around it, gently, even if the area is tender.

When it comes out, a little bleeding is normal. Have your child bite on a clean gauze pad for a few minutes: it usually stops very quickly.

The permanent tooth is growing in behind the baby tooth: what now?

This is common, especially with lower incisors: the permanent tooth comes through behind the baby tooth, which stays in place, and for a while your child has a "double row". Dentaly lists this among the irregularities of tooth loss, alongside a delayed or missing permanent tooth.

Often the baby tooth eventually loosens and falls, and the tongue pushes the permanent tooth forward. But if the baby tooth stays firmly in place a few weeks after the new tooth appears, take your child to the dentist. They will decide whether the baby tooth should be removed to make room. This does not always rule out an orthodontic opinion later on.

A knock to a tooth: emergency or not?

Falls onto the mouth are common, on a bike, at the pool or on the stairs. What to do depends on the type of tooth.

It is a baby tooth:

• never push it back into place: the NHS warns that this could damage the permanent tooth growing underneath;
• press on the gum with a gauze pad until the bleeding stops;
• see a dentist within the next few days to check healing and the tooth below.

It is a permanent tooth (after age 6, a "new" incisor): this is a dental emergency. According to the NHS:

1. pick the tooth up by the crown (the white part), never by the root;
2. if it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk, saline solution or with saliva, without scrubbing;
3. try to put it back in its socket, then have your child bite on a clean cloth;
4. if that is not possible, keep it in milk or in saliva;
5. go to a dentist immediately, or to the emergency department if you cannot find one.

The sooner the tooth is put back, the better its chances of being saved. A broken tooth, even if painless, also needs a prompt consultation. If your child bumped their head in the fall, watch them following our guidance on a fall on the head. Our article on household accidents explains how to limit these falls.

Little mouse or sun: traditions around the tooth

In France, the little mouse leaves a coin under the pillow in exchange for the tooth. In the Maghreb countries, it is the sun that plays this role. A notice from the Bibliothèque nationale de France describes this ritual from Arab culture: the child throws the tooth towards the sun while making a wish, for instance "Sun, take the gazelle's tooth and give me the tooth of a man". The words vary from one family and region to another.

Little mouse, sun or memory box: all these traditions help children experience this change with pride. It is also a chance to explain that the new teeth will have to last a lifetime. The general landmarks for this age are in our article on the 5-year-old, and the story of the very first teeth is in teething.