When are children supposed to start losing their baby teeth? my son is six and has yet to have any teeth even become loose. is this something to be concerned about?

I : I would not be concerned because some of my patients do not lose teeth until seven and it will usually be the lower front central incisors. Some children will start exfoliating teeth at age four or five. I find that the children that are late with the eruption of their baby teeth seem to show the same pattern with the eruption of the permanent teeth. There is a year or two fluctuation with the eruption scheme of the permanent teeth. Also around this time the six year molars will start to erupt but again they may not start till seven. These teeth do not replace baby teeth and they erupt way in the back of the mouth. This is why it is important to have a dental exam and a panoramic x-ray at age six to check for proper growth and developement. This x-ray allows one to see all the teeth growing in the mouth. It is not uncommon to have baby teeth until the age of 12 and sometimes 13. There are genetic components involved meaning if the parents got there teeth in late usually we see the same trend with their children. Hope this helps.

Your : Your son should be receiving periodic dental examinations by a pediatric dentist at least once per year depending on his dental health . His delay in getting permanent teeth may not be of concern, especially if he was late getting his baby teeth. Your pediatric dentist will be able to tell you if he is just delayed or if there is a problem, such as crowding.

Not at all: Remember for there to be an average there must be variation on either side of the norm. Girls start to exchange teeth about age6, boys about age 7. Once the 1st 2 permanent teeth (bottom front) start to erupt, take your son to an orthodontist for examination (usually complimentary). Some children need early rx, some do not. Better not to miss the proper window of opportunity.

Not a problem: Most children start to loose their bottom front baby teeth between 5 1/2 and 6 /12 years old. For some children it does not happen until they are 7 years old. If they got their baby teeth later then we would normally expect that child to get their permanent teeth later as well. Your child's pediatric dentist can give you better guidance for their particular situation.