Simranjit Kaur

Mother of one, Master of Education with specialization in child-psychology. After becoming mother, I met with real me. I am now learning new concepts of parenting every fresh day and sharing my experiences with other mothers. I believe, one of the most important things that you, as a parent, should work on is - your child's psychology. Understanding the child-psychology will help you build stronger bonds and know them better.

A baby is born with teeth underneath his gums. However, like other development milestones, it takes time before parents can see their baby’s teeth. Like other developmental milestones, tooth eruptions also take time. Unfortunately, parents cannot do anything to fasten this process. An early tooth eruption is a joyful moment for the parents. On the other hand, parents tend to get upset and agitated if there is a delay. In this case, parents start seeing dentists assuming that their baby is struggling with some dental issues. However, if experts are to believe, there is nothing to be worried about. There could be several reasons for late tooth eruption. In this article, we will be talking about possible causes of this.

Your baby’s first tooth is unlikely to appear earlier than the 3rd or 4th month of life. Tooth eruption before this period is considered an early eruption. If the baby does not erupt any teeth until the age of 13 months, it is considered a delayed rash.

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Most of the time, the first tooth begins to erupt at the age of 4-6 months, although age may vary greatly from one child to another. The first two teeth will appear at mid-bottom, followed by four in the middle. They will continue to appear in pairs. By the age of 3, most children will have a full set of 20 teeth.

Family History

In some cases, delayed tooth eruption is a family feature and can be inherited from any parent. If you or the other parent had your first tooth later than the average, there is a great chance your child will have his teeth later. If you have had a delayed tooth eruption but there have been no other medical or developmental problems, you should not worry about late teeth.

Birth-Related Problems

There are also cases where delayed teeth may be a symptom of health problems. Babies born prematurely or having a low birth weight may have a delay in the appearance of dental teeth and may also have enamel defects. Some genetic diseases such as Regional Odontodeplasia may cause delayed teeth or poor teeth.

Malnutrition or Deficiency of Vitamins

Hope you know that delayed tooth eruption is also a symptom of malnutrition or deficiency of vitamins or minerals, especially calcium and vitamin D. This may also be associated with Down’s syndrome.

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Hypothyroidism

As we know, hypothyroidism can cause symptoms like weakness, fatigue, headache or stiffness of the joints. In children, hypothyroidism can lead to delays in walking, delay in speech, delayed teeth and overweight.

If your baby shows no teeth until 18 months of age, you should see a dentist immediately. The interval between 4 and 15 months is a normal interval for the appearance of the first tooth, followed by the other teeth occurring after a regular schedule.

Most children have four teeth up to the age of 11 months, eight teeth up to 15 months, 12 teeth at 19 months, 16 teeth at 23 months and 20 teeth at 27 months.

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Permanent teeth begin to appear around the age of six. Teeth that do not follow the above-mentioned pattern are not necessarily a cause for concern.

However, should your baby show no tooth development until the age of 18, consider it as a health problem; and you should see a dentist or pediatrician.