Deciduous Teeth

growing up · teeth · human body

Baby teeth arrive early. Deciduous teeth start developing before you're even born, during the embryonic stage. They begin showing up when you're a few months old and keep coming in until you're about three years old.

They're temporary replacements. Baby teeth aren't meant to last forever. As you grow, your permanent adult teeth push them out, usually starting around age six. By your early teens, most baby teeth have fallen out and been replaced.

They still do important work. Even though they're temporary, deciduous teeth help you chew food, talk clearly, and hold space for your adult teeth. If a baby tooth doesn't have a permanent tooth ready to replace it, it can keep working for years into adulthood.

Not all mammals get them. Humans and most mammals have deciduous teeth, but some animals like elephants, kangaroos, and manatees skip baby teeth entirely. These animals are born with teeth that last their whole lives instead.