Babys First Year Blog
What If My Baby NEVER Gets Any Teeth?
At 9.5 months, she's still TOOFLESS!
Baby G is still toothless. She’s all gums. She’s 9.5 months old now, so I’ve started to kind of wonder when that first cute little tooth will poke through. I’ve tried to compare her lack of teeth to her older siblings’ tooth timetable, but I can’t really remember when they got theirs. Isn’t that awful of me? I mean, you would think that after having given birth to five children, all of whom were, as I dimly recall, late teethers themselves , that I might have made some notes somewhere – baby book, blog, SOMEWHERE – about exactly when G’s four older siblings finally grew some chompers. I know it was late in their first years when each of them got that first tooth, but now I can’t recall exactly how late.
All I know is that H,J, E and C all teethed pretty late, but it looks like Baby G, bringing up the rear among my gaggle of babies, is going to win the award for World’s Latest Teething Baby – at least in our family. At this point, she still isn’t showing even the merest hint of a budding tooth anywhere in her adorable little mouth.
Of course, the good news with her late teething is that she hasn’t experienced any of the pain and drooling that a lot of babies get when their teeth come in. The bad news is that her interest in actual, human food is rapidly outpacing her ability to safely gum it up and swallow it. Like, at this point, she is definitely interested in having a funnel cake, or some fried chicken, or maybe a corndog. But unless she gets some teeth in that mouth of hers, she’s stuck with “Stage 3 Sweet Potatoes” and individual Cheerios. (NOTE: Before y’all start yelling at me, I am totally joking about the funnel cakes, corndogs and fried chicken. I would never give that stuff to my infant….unless we were at the Tennessee State Fair, and that’s not ’til September… )
Seriously though, I am beginning to wonder when we will see that first baby tooth pop on through. I am also curious whether her late teething is related – like some of her other minor developmental quirks – to the fact that she arrived a bit early.
When did your babies get their first teeth? Was it a slow process or did they all come in at once? Was teething a painful process or no problem? And for those of you with babies born early, did you notice later teething or is this unrelated to prematurity? Tell me in the comments below.
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[...] at Babble’s Baby’s First Year Blog this morning, I am wondering whether Baby G will ever sprout any teeth. Tweet This entry was posted in [...]
Baby G Wants A Corndog (But She’ll Need To Grow Her Some Chompers First) | mamapundit commented on Apr 11 11 at 10:23 am[...] come anytime up to 18 months (after that you worry, I guess?) so I’m not too concerned. I’m clearly not alone here, but Katie says all her kids teethed on the late side. The only one I have to compare is [...]
Fuzz Still Has No Teeth. Should I Worry? | Babys First Year Blog commented on Apr 29 11 at 12:16 amSoldierLover84 commented on Apr 11 11 at 10:38 amMy son is 8 months & still no teeth. My mom looked at my baby calendar from when I was little & discovered that I didn’t get any teeth until a week before my 1st birthday! I have a feeling I’m in for a long wait with my lil man.
Zoë commented on Apr 11 11 at 10:40 amMy son didn’t get his first tooth until he was 8-9 mos. My eldest daughter was 11 mos before that first tooth showed up. I thought she’d be gumming food forever (we didn’t wait until she had teeth to give her “real” food – those baby gums are hard). Because my eldest two were so old when they got teeth, I was shocked when my husband shrieked a couple of months ago after the baby bit him – at 5 mos, she had a tooth!! At 7 months, she has her two bottom front teeth, but no top teeth yet. I’m trying to remember how long babies go between growing sets of teeth. My little one might be a two-tooth baby for months.
PeekyToe commented on Apr 11 11 at 10:52 amNothing to add about teeth but MY GOSH–that is one seriously cute baby. I would get absolutely nothing done if I were around her. In every picture you post of her she looks so happy. Just makes my day seeing pics of her.
kgranju commented on Apr 11 11 at 10:54 amThank you Peekytoe! I am afraid that I cannot disagree with your assessment ;-)
Weirdly, she looks like she has dark circles under here eyes in this photos, but she actually doesn’t in real life. Not sure what caused that in the picture…
-Katie
Leslie commented on Apr 11 11 at 11:23 amMine were all early teethers. First teeth at four months, and a full set of eight by six months, just in time for dip dogs. Seriously, if she wants to at least taste some of those things, just give her such tiny bits that she couldn’t choke even if she swallowed them whole. That way at least she will get the experience with different tastes and textures. You don’t want to miss that window when she is interested or you might have a hard time getting her to eat lumpier food later.
Leah commented on Apr 11 11 at 11:26 amMy son did not get a single tooth until he was 18 months! He has had 10 teeth come in over the past 6 months (now is 24 months)… The lack of teeth did not prevent him from eating (it did not even slow him down, he gummed his food just fine). Maybe she is just on the late side?
Ali commented on Apr 11 11 at 11:59 amMy 8.5 y.o. girl has 6 teeth already. She’s been teething for 4 months straight. I think she’s a power teether. She’s an advanced crawler/climber already. She pretty much freaks me out on a daily basis with how fast she’s growing up. Her big sister started teething at 6 months, but didn’t have 6 teeth till she was 12 months.
I am not sure I wrote it down anywhere either.
Love your babble posts!
Melissa commented on Apr 11 11 at 12:22 pmWell…my first born cut his first tooth at 2months. Crazy, I know. He had finished most of his teething by 1 year. However, my two following daughters did not cut thier first teeth until 8 or 9months. I can remember being really worried with our second born, as compared to her brother, she was very late! Our final baby – who is 9months old – cut his first two bottom teeth around 5months. He has also cut his top two ‘eye’ teeth @ 7months….BEFORE the front two. He’s a baby vampire, atm. And, reassurance from other mommies and Google, tells me not to worry, his front two teeth will come in when they were ready. I was still initially very concerned as I fully expected those next.
Jen commented on Apr 11 11 at 12:28 pmMy now almost 6 year old daughter celebrated her first birthday with no teeth. Can’t remember when they finally came in, but pictures of her birthday party are toothless. Now, much to her dismay, all of her friends have lost at least one tooth already, and she’s not even close to a loose tooth. Doesn’t help that she younger than all of her friends with an August birthday. Poor girl! My 7 month old is toothless as of now as well, and no teething going on at all.
AnneMarie commented on Apr 11 11 at 12:41 pmMy almost 13 month old is just now getting his third tooth. His bottom two came in together (Oh joy!) at 9 1/2 months. My four year old was a late teether as well, but not quite as bad as his brother. Look on the bright side – our dentist says the later the better!
mbmom7 commented on Apr 11 11 at 1:01 pmI have a lot of kids, and teething varied greatly. Some had teeth at five months, some at 9 months. My current little one has the two bottom teeth at 7 months – he looks like a jack of lantern when he smiles. for some of my kids, teething was nonexistant – teeth would just appear! For others, the process was long and drawn out, with copious drool or lots of crabbiness.
If you want to vary baby G’s diet, don’t let her lack of teeth stop you. Try things like pasta (with or without sauce), hamburger pieces, cheese (grated or perhaps on a grilled cheese sandwich) – my guy even enjoys pizza! I have little patience with jarred baby foods, so my kids graduate to whatever we’re eating as soon as they’re interested (appropriately cut for small fingers!).
Jamie Elizabeth commented on Apr 11 11 at 1:07 pmI’m going through the same thing with my 11 month old. She’s been “teething” on and off since she was 6 weeks old. But nothing has popped through. I’m convinced that she’s never going to get teeth.
But I was also convinced that she was never going to breastfeed successfully, then never going to take the bottle (when I had to go back to work), never going to eat solid food, never going to sleep alone, and I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting. I guess if they don’t come through by a certain age the pediatrician will recommend they get checked out by a dentist- right?
Brandi commented on Apr 11 11 at 1:19 pmBoth my girls were overachievers with teething. My oldest started at 5 months, the youngest had her first tooth actually poke through at 12 weeks (yikes! She was miserable, poor thing). However, my best friends kid’s (she has 3) didn’t get teeth until their first birthdays. Everyone is different.
Katy E commented on Apr 11 11 at 1:22 pmDeclan cute his first tooth at 8&1/2 months and it seems they all came in at once. By the time he was 13 months old, all of his baby teeth (including molars) were in. He’s 19 months old now and I’m beginning to wonder if he’s part rodent or golden retriever because he’s actually pulling up bits of carpet with his teeth. Otherwise, he’s appropriately social and developmentally normal.
Mary commented on Apr 11 11 at 1:46 pmMy son was 13 months before he had the first tooth, and he was a full term 8lb baby. Now at 6 1/2 yo, he still hasn’t lost any, while many of his still-5yo friends have lost multiple!
But, you would be surprised what they can eat with those gums! We never limited his food based on that – and our pediatrician said not to worry about it either.
Bonnie commented on Apr 11 11 at 1:58 pmKatie, G looks EXACTLY like you
PeekyToe commented on Apr 11 11 at 2:01 pmKatie–I did notice the dark circles under G’s eye–maybe she’s just “tired” of being so dang cute! .
Clisby commented on Apr 11 11 at 2:01 pmMy daughter got her first tooth at 3 months, my son at 6 months. I haven’t heard of a child who got NO teeth, ever, so I’m sure G’s will appear eventually.
Kirsten commented on Apr 11 11 at 2:01 pmMy son got his first tooth at 16 months, he’s 11 now, and didn’t lose a tooth till he was 8…dentist said it was a good thing actually, but he hates that he still has a ton of “baby” teeth, never had a problem eating without the teeth either:)
Clare commented on Apr 11 11 at 2:20 pmMy kids had two teeth by their first birthdays, so they were pretty late teethers too. But you can totally give baby G “real” food now if she wants it! Those gums are hard, and she could manage soft foods like cooked veggies, meat, cheese — my second son refused pureed foods and went straight to table foods at 6 months, several months before he even had his front teeth. And go for the corn dog — just make sure to cut in in half so it’s not a choking hazard :) Now I am craving funnel cake…
Rosstwinmom commented on Apr 11 11 at 2:29 pmThat cute baby is just very distracting….
My twins came a little early (37 weeks), and one had 2 teeth by 7 months, and the other was about 2 months behind. They were very easy teethers. When Jack got his first tooth, I didn’t even realize it until I saw the darn thing half up in his mouth. I called my best friend (Mom of 3) and asked if I needed to give him anything or watch for pain. Um, no, it was all over. He did drool for 7 straight months though.
Vicki commented on Apr 11 11 at 2:32 pmMy oldest kid, who’s almost 11, didn’t get his first tooth until he was 17? maybe 15? months old. I will have to go find my old journals to be sure but I am pretty sure it was 17 months. My other 2 got their first teeth around 8 months.
But kid #1 has gone on to not lose his first teeth until right before he turned 8, and 4 or 6 of his 8 baby teeth that are now gone have been pulled by the dentist. He is hanging on to them! The dentist has told us over and over that it’s ok and is just on the late side of normal. :)
SNSinNC commented on Apr 11 11 at 2:43 pmOur son got his first teeth at 11 months, got four in a row (over a period of four weeks or so) and then nothing until just last month at 16 months. He’s finally starting to show signs of getting 2-4 more, but it is taking forever for them to come in. The latest one has been coming for over a month and finally broke through last week. It’s like his gums are tougher than normal. But he definitely eats normal food, just cut up. His gums are pretty tough – as my nipples and fingers can attest.
Claire R commented on Apr 11 11 at 2:57 pmMy older daughter, (born June 27th and 8 weeks early, almost 23 years ago) had 2 teeth on her first birthday, and I seem to remember NO teeth at Easter. I’ll have to look at photos when I get home.
G is expending all her energy being adorable. Teeth will follow.
Heather commented on Apr 11 11 at 3:08 pmMy daughter Mica got her first tooth on March 1st 2011, at 8 months old. It wasn’t even the front tooth it was a side top tooth, then 1 front broke through. A bottom one should be showing up any time now. I am still breastfeeding and let me tell you, it hurts when those sharp fangs catch you.
M. commented on Apr 11 11 at 3:27 pmPhysical anthropologist chiming in – teeth are one of the most genetic parts of the human skeleton. Their shape, eruption pattern, number, and development are controlled almost exclusively by genes. (Unlike most bones, which are impacted a lot by nutritional status, environment, etc.) There’s a pretty broad range of what’s normal (some of which has to do with ancestry/”race” and sex) but as a general rule, girls are more precocious than boys, i.e. they’ll start getting teeth earlier. Since H., J., E., and C. were all “late” with teeth, chances are good that G.’s aren’t going to be on the early side. Basically: don’t worry, everyone catches up eventually.
If anyone would like to look at a cool chart of human tooth development (with the caveat that it was developed using only native american populations and that it blended info from both boys and girls), you can check it out here – note the huge age ranges! Teeth are very variable.
Aurel commented on Apr 11 11 at 3:54 pmAs a mom, you are right to concern about your baby, especially in his first months of life. Regarding the teeth there is no worry, as long as the genetic structure of every man is different! Some babies physically develop faster, some slower! It is not a certain age for teeth o appear. http://www.sparkling-markets.com/baby
Shari commented on Apr 11 11 at 6:04 pmI am giggling a little at this. Our oldest sprouted his first tooth at 4.5 months old. Um yeah! Our second son was exactly a year when he sprouted his first. Our youngest was another story. He was 15 months old! The poor kid wanted to eat table food without it mushed but he couldn’t! LOL
Earth Muffin commented on Apr 11 11 at 6:15 pmMy oldest didn’t get teeth until he was well ino his 10th month, but after that it seemed like he got a new tooth every other day. My youngest was an early teether, 5 months for his first one, and after the ease with which his brother handled teething, it seemed like a miserably long time for teething to drag on! Cherish the lack of teething symptoms while you can!
Emily commented on Apr 11 11 at 6:31 pmMy oldest was more than 10 months old before she got her first tooth! I just had to decide to enjoy that gummy smile rather than comparing her to her peers. We have a relative whose daughter didn’t get teeth until several months later than my daughter, but they did come in eventually! This Mom’s Guide has some helpful information too, if you want to check it out. <a href=" http://www.1dental.com/moms-guide/
Christy commented on Apr 11 11 at 8:43 pmFirst daughter got her first tooth at 13 1/2 months, second daughter at 12 months and third daughter at 11 1/2 months. Our first, the latest to get her teeth, was eating full solid finger foods at 10 months with no teeth, the second refused any kind of solids until 14 months (!) and the third, who has four, count ‘em four! teeth is still exclusively breast fed (not by my choice I might add) and also refuses any kind of solids.
Lisa commented on Apr 11 11 at 9:01 pmmy daughter got her first tooth at 3 1/2 months! her teething was fast… she would be miserable for a day or tow thne boom a new tooth. She has a full little mouth by her first b’day, also a head of long hair. However she wasn’t walking and didn’t say a word. My best friends daughter~ same age, had 2 tiny barely showing teeth at 1 but was walking and talking. Both were full term. My son who was 42 weeks when born didn’t get a tooth until 9 or 10 months….his teething was long but didn’t seem as painful, just very drooly and chewed on everything. Food wise they started solids and table food around the same time 9-12 months.
Kata commented on Apr 12 11 at 6:00 amMy son was 11 mths when he got his first tooth. He will be 3 in 3 weeks, he is still missing his last tooth. I was told, they grow their teeth until 3 yrs, if not, visit a dentist. He sure keeps his deadlines. :))
Beth commented on Apr 12 11 at 2:11 pmMy elder son got his first tooth at 6 months. My second child got his first tooth at 11 months. 11 months! I was getting worried. And now he’s almost six and shows no sign of getting a loose tooth. Now he’s the one who is frustrated.
Marsha commented on Apr 12 11 at 2:33 pmMy daughter was 12 mths when she got her top two teeth at the same time. Now, she’s 5 1/2 and she’s already lost 2 teeth and has 2 more loose teeth!
Ashley commented on Apr 12 11 at 2:38 pmMy second son did not get his first tooth until 11 months and then they all started coming in at once and he was caught up by 2 years of age. Every baby is different! I listed the ages of my other children getting their teeth here at Baby Milestones.
ricky yd commented on Oct 15 11 at 3:21 amI think we need a better system for these kind of dental problems and woes. It seems like everyone is having problems with their teeth and it looks like we are about to enter yet another recession. . .I’m honestly a little scared these days about how I can support my family. We need to have a discussion on REAL resources out there to help single mothers like us take care of our family… I know about
http://www.healthsouk.com (HealthSouk) and http://www.1800dentist.com (1800 Dentist)
but are there any other great organizations that help people get connected to doctors for discounted health prices that can help? We don’t qualify for government assistance!
healthsouk
Thomas Little
Melanie commented on Jan 28 12 at 10:59 amI didn’t get my first tooth until I was over a year old. I’m now a grown woman, average height, average weight for my height, and always scored exceptionally high on my intelligence assessments in school. Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean anything.
It was funny though- I lost my last baby tooth at 15, during band class my sophomore year of high school- the nurse didn’t know what to do! She joked about calling down to the elementary school for a certificate!
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