Tooth Eruption In Broomfield, CO

Most babies get their first tooth between 6 and 10 months, usually a bottom front tooth. All 20 baby teeth are typically in by 33 months.

Questions about tooth eruption in Broomfield, CO usually start with a chart, and the chart is the same in every town. Below is what the charts leave out: the newborn months, the 1 problem each tooth family is known for, Broomfield's tap water, and the 8 signs that a late or missing tooth needs a look.

Before the First Tooth: What's Normal in a Newborn's Mouth

White bumps on a newborn's gums are almost never teeth. They're Epstein pearls or Bohn's nodules, tiny cysts filled with keratin, and they clear on their own within weeks. In a 2018 study of 2,216 newborns in the Korean Journal of Pediatrics, 66% had Epstein pearls and 70% had Bohn's nodules. There's nothing to treat.

A real tooth at birth is rare. Natal teeth show up in about 1 in 2,000 to 3,500 births, and about 85% are lower front teeth. In 90% to 99% of cases it's one of the baby's own teeth arriving early, not an extra one (European Journal of Dentistry, 2011). Get it checked if it wobbles, since a loose tooth can be inhaled, or if a sore forms under the tongue and makes feeding hard.

We see newborns for tongue tie evaluations, before any teeth arrive. Our baby beds let us examine the youngest patients safely, and when a tongue tie release is needed, we use a soft tissue laser.

The Tooth Eruption Chart, Birth to Age 13

Baby teeth, also called primary teeth, come in between about 6 and 33 months and fall out between 6 and 12 years. Here is when each one comes in, when it falls out and what replaces it, from the American Dental Association's eruption charts. Tooth eruption in Broomfield, CO follows that same national schedule.

Central incisors come in at 6 to 10 months on the bottom and 8 to 12 months on top. They fall out at 6 to 7 years and are replaced at 6 to 7 on the bottom and 7 to 8 on top.
Lateral incisors come in at 9 to 13 months on top and 10 to 16 months on the bottom. They fall out at 7 to 8 years and are replaced at 7 to 8 on the bottom and 8 to 9 on top.
Canines come in at 16 to 22 months on top and 17 to 23 months on the bottom. They fall out at 9 to 12 years and are replaced at 9 to 10 on the bottom and 11 to 12 on top.
First molars come in at 13 to 19 months on top and 14 to 18 months on the bottom. They fall out at 9 to 11 years, and first premolars replace them at 10 to 12.
Second molars come in at 23 to 31 months on the bottom and 25 to 33 months on top. They fall out at 10 to 12 years, and second premolars replace them at 10 to 12.
6-year molars come in at 6 to 7 years, behind the second baby molars. Nothing falls out first.
12-year molars come in at 11 to 13 years on the bottom and 12 to 13 on top. Nothing falls out first.

A tooth outside its range is not a diagnosis on its own. The 8 signs worth a call are further down this page.

Tooth by Tooth: What Each Family Is Known For

Each family of baby teeth has 1 problem it's known for. Here's that problem, how often it happens, and what to do about it.

Central incisors: first in, and sometimes born early

The bottom centrals are usually the first teeth in, and they're the teeth behind most natal teeth. At 6 or 7, a permanent incisor can come in behind the baby tooth instead of underneath it. Because it misses the baby tooth's root, the baby tooth doesn't loosen, and your child has 2 rows for a while. Parents call it shark teeth. In most cases the baby tooth still falls out once the permanent tooth is fully in, though it takes longer. If it doesn't, a simple extraction makes room.

Lateral incisors: the front teeth most often missing

Not counting wisdom teeth, the upper permanent lateral incisor is the 2nd most common tooth to never form, after the lower second premolar. A 2014 meta-analysis of 93 studies in the Journal of Orthodontics found congenitally missing permanent teeth in 6.4% of people, more often in girls. You can't spot a missing tooth bud from the outside. It shows on an X-ray, and when one is missing, the baby tooth above it may need to stay in place for years.

Canines: the gap in some charts

Baby canines arrive at 16 to 23 months, between the first and second molars on the calendar, a stretch some online charts leave blank. The permanent canines are the last front teeth to come in. Upper canines are the most commonly impacted tooth after wisdom teeth, in about 1.5% of people, per the Royal College of Surgeons of England. By 10 or 11, most can be felt as a bump in the gum above the baby canine. No bump by then is a reason for an X-ray. Removing the baby canine at 10 to 13 helps some displaced canines come in on their own, 78% in the original study and 62% in later ones, and the guideline reserves it for carefully selected cases.

First molars: the baby molars that sink

Baby first molars are the first teeth with a wide chewing surface. Sometimes a baby molar's root fuses to the jawbone instead of dissolving as the permanent tooth comes up. That's ankylosis. A fused tooth never falls out on its own, and as the teeth around it keep growing, it sinks lower than its neighbors, which is called infraocclusion. A 2023 review in Children found infraocclusion in 1.3% to 8.9% of children, most often in lower molars. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends extraction once the sinking is moderate or the neighboring permanent teeth start to tip.

Second molars: the last baby teeth, and the molar behind them

Baby second molars finish the set by about 33 months and stay until 10 to 12. The lower second premolar that should replace them is the most commonly missing permanent tooth after wisdom teeth, so for some kids this baby molar has to last into adulthood.

At 6 or 7, the first permanent molar comes in right behind it. No baby tooth falls out to announce it, so it's easy to miss. The CDC says sealants placed soon after these molars come in prevent up to 80% of cavities for 2 years. In Colorado's 2022-23 school screening survey, 60.6% of third graders already had a cavity history. Since the 2025-26 school year, Colorado has offered schools a voluntary screening pilot for kindergarten and 3rd grade under SB24-142. A screening is a quick visual check and doesn't replace an exam. More on sealants and cavity prevention.

Broomfield Tap Water and Brand-New Enamel

Broomfield city water carries the recommended fluoride level for new teeth. The city adds fluoride, and its 2024 water quality report put the yearly average at 0.68 ppm, with monthly samples between 0.53 and 0.93 ppm and no violations. The U.S. Public Health Service target is 0.7 mg/L, the same measure. Broomfield's water comes from its own treatment plant, fed by Carter Lake and the Glasser Reservoir, and from Denver Water.

The water is the one part of tooth eruption in Broomfield, CO that changes by town, and the timing matters. A newly erupted tooth has enamel that's still maturing and more prone to decay than enamel that's been in the mouth for years. Fluoride from water, toothpaste and varnish is absorbed into that enamel as it matures. Families on well water or bottled water may not be getting fluoridated water at home, and reverse-osmosis filters remove most fluoride. Tell us at the visit, and see our page on fluoride treatment for kids in Broomfield.

Parents also ask about the 2024 federal report on fluoride and IQ. The National Toxicology Program concluded with moderate confidence that water above 1.5 mg/L is linked to lower IQ in children. That's more than twice Broomfield's average, and the same report found too little data to judge the 0.7 level. Don't add fluoride drops on top of city water without asking us or your pediatrician first.

What Teething Causes, and What It Doesn't

Teething causes mild, local symptoms: drooling, swollen or tender gums, fussiness that comes and goes, and a strong urge to chew on hard objects. A 2025 review in the Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry backed those links and found "no credible evidence linking teething to high fever or gastrointestinal disturbances."

The American Academy of Pediatrics defines fever as 100.4°F (38°C) or higher on a rectal reading and says getting teeth does not cause fevers. A baby under 12 weeks with a fever needs to be seen right away, with no fever medicine beforehand. At any age, fever, vomiting, diarrhea or a body rash points to something other than a tooth.

Sleep is the surprise. A 2025 Journal of Pediatrics study scored crib video for 849 babies aged 3 to 18 months and found no change in sleep time, night wakings or parent visits around the day a tooth came through. More than half of parents still reported worse nights. If nights have fallen apart for 2 weeks, look past the tooth.

What Helps, and 4 Products to Throw Out

Cold and pressure are what work. Use a firm rubber teether chilled in the refrigerator, never the freezer, because the FDA warns that a teether that's too hard can hurt the gums. Rub the sore gum with a clean finger. Offer a cold, damp washcloth to chew. Ask your pediatrician before giving acetaminophen or ibuprofen, because age limits apply.

The FDA's teething safety update warns against 4 products:

Benzocaine gels and creams, which can cause methemoglobinemia, a serious and sometimes fatal blood condition
Prescription viscous lidocaine, linked to seizures, heart problems and brain injury in young children
Homeopathic teething tablets
Teething necklaces and other teething jewelry, linked to deaths and injuries from strangulation and choking

When to Call Us About a Late or Missing Tooth

With tooth eruption in Broomfield, CO, as anywhere, most worries are about timing, and timing alone is rarely a problem. A late tooth also says nothing about a late learner: there is zero clinical evidence linking eruption timing to cognitive development. These 8 signs are the ones that change what happens next.

No teeth by 12 months. From 6 to 12 months with no teeth, keep watching; that's within the normal range. From 12 to 18 months, book an evaluation, where X-rays can check for teeth under the gum. Past 18 months, the evaluation looks for teeth that never formed, impacted buds or a medical cause.
A tooth at birth that wobbles, or a sore under your newborn's tongue.
A baby tooth that fell out before age 5 without a bump or injury.
No baby teeth lost by age 8.
A baby tooth that's still in after the permanent tooth behind it is fully through.
No canine bump in the gum by age 10 or 11.
A baby molar sitting lower than the teeth beside it.
Facial swelling, a toothache with a fever, or a knocked-out permanent tooth. That's an emergency, not eruption. The best chance of saving a knocked-out permanent tooth is within 30 minutes. Call (303) 500-3202. After hours, existing patients press 2 to reach our on-call pediatric dentist, and we work to see emergencies the same business day.

Your Child's Eruption Check, About 10 Minutes from Broomfield

The first visit is due by the first birthday or within 6 months after the first tooth appears, whichever comes first. That's the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommendation, and it's when we start seeing children.

At the first visit, your baby can sit in your lap, and our baby beds let us examine the youngest patients safely. Dr. Grover checks any teeth that have come in, the health of the gums, and how the jaw and bite are developing, and she does a basic tongue tie assessment at every baby exam. Our instruments are sized for children's mouths. Low-radiation digital X-rays are taken only as needed, with camera-like X-ray machines right in the treatment room. Older kids watch a movie of their choice on a ceiling-mounted TV, with more than 70 to choose from, and they pick their toothpaste and fluoride flavors, including a flavorless option. After fluoride, they can eat and drink normally right away. Parents are always welcome in the treatment room. From there, cleanings and exams every 6 months let us track each new tooth as it comes in.

Dr. Alison Grover is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She earned her DDS and a general practice residency certificate at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, then completed a 2-year pediatric residency and a Pediatric Dental Certificate at UCLA. She also holds a degree in child psychology from Wellesley College. She grew up in Boulder and founded Mini Miners in 2017.

Families come to us from Broadlands, Aspen Creek, Anthem Highlands and other Broomfield neighborhoods. Our office is at 61 Erie Pkwy, Unit 101, in the Erie Commons shopping area at the corner of Briggs St and Erie Pkwy, between I-25 and Highway 287. From Broomfield, the drive is about 10 minutes via Highway 287 or the Northwest Parkway. Learn more about Mini Miners, your pediatric dentist in Broomfield.

Tooth Eruption FAQs for Broomfield Parents

Is Broomfield tap water enough fluoride for new baby teeth?

For homes on city water, yes. Broomfield adds fluoride, and its 2024 water quality report averaged 0.68 ppm against the 0.7 mg/L federal target. Well water, bottled water and reverse-osmosis filters change that. Ask us or your pediatrician before adding fluoride drops.

What are the white bumps on my newborn's gums?

Usually Epstein pearls or Bohn's nodules, small cysts that clear within weeks without treatment. A 2018 study of 2,216 newborns found them in 66% and 70% of babies. A true tooth at birth is rare, about 1 in 2,000 to 3,500 births, and should be checked if it's loose.

My baby was born early. When should the first tooth come in?

Later than the chart. In a December 2025 study of 91 babies in Brazil, first teeth came in at 7.0 months for full-term babies and 11.4 months for preterm babies, or 9.0 months counted from the due date. Book the first visit by the first birthday either way.

When do adult canines come in, and what if they don't?

Lower permanent canines arrive at 9 to 10 and uppers at 11 to 12. Most can be felt as a bump in the gum by 10 or 11. No bump by then means an X-ray to check the tooth's path. Upper canines get stuck in about 1.5% of people, and the window for interceptive treatment is about 10 to 13.

My child's X-ray shows a missing adult tooth. What now?

It's a common finding. 6.4% of people are born without at least 1 permanent tooth, not counting wisdom teeth, most often a lower second premolar or an upper lateral incisor. The baby tooth above it may stay in place for years, so it's worth keeping healthy.

How far is Mini Miners from Broomfield, and do you see babies?

We see children for tooth eruption in Broomfield, CO at our Erie office, about 10 minutes away via Highway 287 or the Northwest Parkway, at the corner of Briggs St and Erie Pkwy. We see newborns for tongue tie evaluations, and the first checkup is due by the first birthday or within 6 months after the first tooth appears, whichever comes first.