My baby girl started teething at about three months of age. Her mouth would turn into a waterfall of drool, she’d soak about an outfit an hour, and she’d chomp on anything she could get her little gums on.
Each month, my husband and I were certain a tooth would pop through. Each month, we’d tell our friends and family, “Any day now. Her tooth will be here before we know it.” Without fail, each new month would come and go, and with each new month came no tooth.
Our friends’ babies, who were younger than our baby, all got their first teeth, then their second teeth. Some even had six or eight teeth. Our child, on the other hand, was still blessing us with gorgeous gummy grins.
We didn’t mind that she was “late” getting teeth. I’d heard one too many horror stories from fellow breastfeeding moms about having lasting damage on their breasts due to an enthusiastic bite from their toothy babe. All the same, we wondered when the first tooth would make its appearance.
Babies can get their first teeth as early as four months of age, and most have a tooth by six or seven months. Still, it’s not uncommon or worrisome for a child to remain toothless until 15 months of age.
Timing of the first tooth deals largely with genetics. If mom or dad was late getting teeth as a child, baby very likely will also be late.
I checked back in my baby book and saw that my first tooth hadn’t popped until I was 10 months old. Ten months came and went, and we began to wonder if our baby would have a tooth by her first birthday.
I was sitting in church the Sunday before our daughter’s birthday, and she was chewing on a hard toy. Suddenly, I heard a clanking sound. Was it a tooth? It took a few hours before I was able to wedge my finger into her mouth, but sure enough, one had poked through. Our baby got her first tooth at 11 ¾ months of age.
When did your baby get his first tooth?