When your child loses their primary teeth, the next question you ask is: “How long does it take permanent teeth to come in?”. Permanent teeth eruption varies from one baby to another, and you should not worry much about it.
There are several causes associated with late teeth eruption. When a primary tooth falls out, it can take a week to six months for the permanent tooth to appear. Baby teeth start to come in when a child is six months old. While permanent ones emerge at six years old. And the child continues to lose primary teeth until 12 to 13 years.
Teeth are an essential part of the body, just like any other body part. They support the structure of the face and help to promote clear speech. Hence, knowing what to expect from your child’s dental formula is crucial.
Permanent Teeth Eruption Table
Every child is different from the rest. Hence, they lose their initial set of teeth and see their permanent ones come in at different times. Besides, permanent teeth emerge faster in girls than in boys. The table below shows when permanent teeth are likely to appear.
| Position of the teeth | Teeth type | Emerging period |
| Upper teeth | Incisor | Central incisor – 7 to 8 yearsLateral incisor – 8 to 9 years |
| Canine | Cuspid- 11 to 12 years | |
| Premolar | First premolar (first bicuspid)- 10 to 11 yearsSecond premolar (second bicuspid)-10 to 12 years | |
| Molar | First molar – 6 to 7 yearsSecond molar – 12 to 13 yearsThird molar(wisdom teeth) – 17 to 21 years | |
| Lower teeth | Incisor | Central incisor – 6 to 7 yearsLateral incisor – 7 to 8 years |
| Canine | Cuspid – 9 to 10 years | |
| Premolar | First premolar (first bicuspid) – 10 to 12 yearsSecond premolar (second bicuspid) – 11 to 12 years | |
| Molar | First molar – 6 to 7 yearsSecond molar – 11 to 13 yearsThird molar (wisdom teeth) – 17 to 21 years |
Reasons for Delayed Growth of Permanent Teeth
Sometimes, your child may take more than six months before permanent teeth come in. Here are some reasons;
Lack of Enough Jaw Space
Your child’s permanent teeth may not be coming in because their jaw space cannot accommodate them. A small jaw or wide teeth can impede the development of permanent teeth. This can lead to openings between the teeth. But that shouldn’t worry you because the permanent teeth that come in will be larger. Therefore, the spaces will not alarm as the permanent teeth come in.
Impacted Tooth
Children lose their primary teeth when the adult teeth are set to erupt. However, a child may lose theirs due to other circumstances such as injury or tooth decay. The permanent teeth may delay because it wasn’t ready to come in in such a case.
Besides, it may block the permanent teeth from erupting and remain stuck in the jaw bone. In other cases, it may erupt partially and stop growing. This is when you say that the tooth is impacted. You can seek an orthodontist to do oral surgery to correct such a case.
Erupting in the Wrong Direction
After your child’s primary tooth fall, you could be wondering how long it takes before a permanent tooth come in because it has taken more than six months. The permanent tooth could be taking a different path to grow from the primary one. As a result, it takes longer to penetrate the gum tissues and erupt.
Permanent Teeth Conditions
Some conditions may hinder the growth of adult teeth altogether. Here is an overview of some issues;
Congenitally Missing Teeth
A tooth that’s absent from birth is known as a congenitally missing tooth. Your child may have such an issue and never realize it. In most cases, the wisdom teeth are missing. However, people may have one or both of their second premolars of lateral incisors absent in other cases. Besides, when one of your family members has this condition, it is likely to happen to another person in the same family.
It is a condition where the permanent teeth never grow because there is no pressure pushing the primary teeth to fall out. And in case you lose the teeth due to tooth decay or any other cause, the permanent teeth won’t erupt.
If you are not comfortable living without teeth, you can seek help from an orthodontist. The medical practitioner may do a bridge or partial surgery to replace the missing tooth. Besides, dental surgery is also good if you want a natural look.
Supernumerary Primary Teeth
These are extra teeth that may grow and obstruct the development of permanent teeth. They can be caused by conditions such as a cleft palate, cleidocranial dysostosis, or Gardner’s syndrome.
The extra tooth or teeth grow anywhere in the dental formula and block the permanent ones. There are various remedies for this condition, but the common one is to extract the supernumerary primary teeth.
Failure to Erupt
Your child’s permanent teeth may fail to fully emerge even after waiting for more than six months. It is a genetic condition where the permanent teeth have a clear path in the jaw, but they fail to erupt or erupt partially and then stop growing.
When the condition affects several teeth, it would be good to seek medication to fill the gaps. The process can take years and several procedures. The most popular cure for the condition is oral surgery and orthodontic treatment to help the teeth come out. On the other hand, the partially erupted tooth can be extracted and braced to fill the gap.
Conclusion
Permanent teeth come in at different times in different children. The teeth eruption period ranges between one week and six months. However, conditions such as an impacted tooth might lead to delay.
Besides, your child’s permanent teeth or the tooth may never erupt due to conditions such as congenitally missing teeth. If you are worried about your infant’s dental health, seek help from an orthodontist.
