Baby Teeth

A child's mouth contains 20 temporary teeth. Want to know more?

A child's mouth contains 20 temporary teeth, called primary teeth, baby teeth, or deciduous teeth, consisting of the following teeth types:

4 second molars

4 first molars

4 cuspids (also called canine or eye teeth)

4 lateral incisors

4 central incisors

For each set of four teeth, two teeth are located in the upper arch (one on each side of the mouth) and two are located in the lower arch (one on each side of the mouth).

Teeth vary in size, shape and their location in the jaws. These differences enable teeth to work together to help you chew, speak and smile. They also help give your face its shape and form. At birth people usually have 20 baby (primary) teeth, which start to come in (erupt) at about 6 months of age. They fall out (shed) at various times throughout childhood.