How Many Teeth Should You Have?
We get asked from time to time “How many teeth should you have?” The number of teeth you should have will depend on your age. Adults have a different number of teeth from children or adolescents, because they have different sets of teeth. Therefore, the number of teeth you should have will depend on your age.
The baby teeth
In most cases, babies begin teething when they are around six months. These teeth will eventually fall out, and are usually known as baby teeth, primary teeth, or even milk teeth. This first set of teeth consists of 20 teeth – 10 on the bottom and 10 on top. These teeth act as a sort of placeholder for the adult teeth while they develop beneath the gums. Though these teeth will eventually fall out, it is important to care for them as you would your adult teeth. Most children will begin to lose their baby teeth around the age of six. This process continues until they are in their early teens.
The adult teeth
Adults have a total of 32 teeth:
- 4 canines
- 8 incisors
- 8 premolars
- 12 molars (this includes the 4 wisdom teeth)
In general, most people will have their full set of adult teeth by the time they are teenagers, except for the wisdom teeth which are the last to erupt. These may not come in until the late teens to early 20s. Many adults will have the wisdom teeth removed because there is not enough room for them to come in completely or comfortably without causing the remaining teeth to become misaligned.