When do kids start losing teeth?

Most kids lose their first baby tooth around age 6. The first ones to go are usually the two bottom front teeth. Then the others come out, one at a time, in about the order they came in.

Losing teeth keeps going until about age 12 or 13, when the last back teeth grow in. Some kids start a little earlier or later than this, and both are normal.

What is happening

Under every baby tooth is a grown-up tooth, waiting. As it grows, it pushes the baby tooth from underneath until the baby tooth gets loose and falls out. That is why a wiggly tooth is a good sign: a new tooth is coming.

Tips

• Wiggle it with a clean hand, but do not pull a tooth that is not ready. It will come out on its own.
• Brush your new teeth with a grown-up, morning and night.
• If a grown-up tooth looks like it is coming in crooked, tell your dentist at your next check-up.