How Many Teeth Do Humans Have?

Adults have 32 permanent teeth or 28 if they are missing their wisdom teeth, and children have 20 baby teeth.¹

Most children start getting their first baby teeth around 6 months and start losing them around age 6. Most have 28 permanent teeth by the age of 13.

Tooth Count at a Glance

Many adults have fewer, and some people are missing teeth that never developed, or have extra teeth.

How Many Teeth Do Adults Have?

Adults normally have 32 permanent teeth, 16 in each jaw, in four types:

• 8 Incisors: your four front teeth on the top and four on the bottom, two central and two lateral in each jaw.
• 4 Canines: one at each front corner of your smile, top and bottom, sometimes called cuspids or eyeteeth.
• 8 Premolars: a first and second premolar behind each canine, sometimes called bicuspids.
• 12 Molars: three at the back on each side, top and bottom, including your four wisdom teeth.

Each type has a different job in chewing. A separate guide covers the shape and function of each type.

How Many Teeth Are on the Top and Bottom?

You have 16 teeth on top and 16 on the bottom, or 14 each without wisdom teeth. Each quarter of a full set (a quadrant) has two incisors, one canine, two premolars and three molars.

How Many Molars Do Adults Have?

Adults have 12 molars, three on each side of each jaw, or eight without wisdom teeth. The premolars in front of them don’t count as molars.

Your first molars are sometimes called 6 year molars, your second molars 12 year molars and your third molars wisdom teeth.

How Many Teeth Do Kids Have?

Children normally have 20 baby teeth, also called primary or deciduous teeth: 8 incisors, 4 canines and 8 molars, ten in each jaw, and no premolars.

Tooth Count by Age

Ages are averages, so teeth coming through a few months early or late is normal.

When Baby Teeth Come In

Your baby’s first tooth normally comes through around 6 months, usually one of the bottom front teeth. Most children have all 20 baby teeth by the age of 3.³ The month-by-month teething guide shows when each tooth usually arrives.

If your baby has no teeth at all by 9 months, see your dentist. Their first dental checkup should be by age one.

When Baby Teeth Fall Out

Most kids start losing teeth around age 6, usually the lower front teeth first. The canines and back baby molars go last, by around age 12.

How 20 Baby Teeth Become 32 Adult Teeth

• Permanent incisors and canines replace the 8 baby incisors and four baby canines.
• Permanent premolars replace the eight baby molars.
• Eight new permanent molars (the 6 year and 12 year molars) come in at the back.
• Up to four wisdom teeth normally come in between ages 17 and 21.

By 13, most people have 28 permanent teeth, or 32 later with all four wisdom teeth.

What About Wisdom Teeth?

Your wisdom teeth (the third molars) are the last four permanent teeth to come through, normally between ages 17 and 21.⁶ This is why adult counts are given as 32 or 28.

Some people never develop one or more wisdom teeth, and many have theirs removed, so many adults have 28 to 31 teeth.

When Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed

Wisdom teeth may need to be removed when they:

• Don’t have room to come in properly
• Grow in sideways
• Stay partly trapped under the gum
• Push against the second molar

These problems can cause pain, infection, decay, gum disease, cysts or tumors, or damage to neighboring teeth. Your dentist or an oral surgeon can tell with an exam and x-rays whether your wisdom teeth need removal or can be monitored.

You usually don’t need to remove a wisdom tooth if it’s:

• Healthy
• Fully erupted (all the way through the gum)
• In a good position so it bites against the opposing tooth
• Easy to clean every day

Why Some People Have Fewer or More Than 32 Teeth

Many adults have fewer than 32 teeth because they never developed wisdom teeth, had them removed, or lost teeth to decay, gum disease, injury or extraction. It’s much less common for teeth not to develop or to have extra teeth.

Teeth Lost in Adulthood

Tooth decay and gum disease are the most common reasons adults lose teeth. These are more likely if you smoke.

When you lose a tooth, nearby teeth can shift into the space. Talk to your dentist about options for replacing missing teeth.

Teeth That Never Develop

Missing permanent teeth are grouped by how many didn’t form:

• Hypodontia: is when 1 to 5 permanent teeth (not including wisdom teeth) never form.¹² It most often affects the upper lateral incisors (on either side of the front teeth) and second premolars.
• Oligodontia: is when 6 or more permanent teeth (not including wisdom teeth) never form.
• Anodontia: is when teeth never form at all.

Congenitally missing teeth (teeth that never develop) can be caused by genetic and environmental factors. Hypodontia is slightly more common in females than males.

Baby Teeth That Don’t Fall Out

A baby tooth that stays well past the age it usually falls out is over-retained. The most common reason is no permanent tooth underneath, but other causes include:

• The root of the baby tooth becomes attached to the jawbone (ankylosis)
• A permanent tooth that can’t come through the gum (impacted)
• Infection
• Injury

An x-ray can show your pediatric dentist whether a permanent tooth is underneath. If a retained baby tooth is healthy, it may be fine to keep into adulthood.

Extra Teeth

Extra teeth (supernumerary teeth) form in addition to the usual set, a condition called hyperdontia. The most common is a mesiodens, between the two upper front teeth. Even when they stay hidden under the gums, they can block permanent teeth or cause crowding, so they’re often removed.

When to See a Dentist

An exam and X-rays can help check whether teeth that haven’t come in yet are present and how they’re developing. See a dentist or pediatric dentist if any of the signs below apply.

For Babies and Children

Book your child’s first dental visit when the first tooth appears, and no later than the first birthday.⁵ Also see a dentist if:

• Your baby has no teeth at all by 9 months⁴
• A baby tooth is still firmly in place past the usual age range for losing it
• Teeth fall out or come in noticeably later on one side of the mouth than the other
• You notice a permanent tooth coming in behind a baby tooth that hasn’t loosened
• A permanent tooth seems to be missing, or an extra tooth appears

For Teens and Adults

Make an appointment if:

• A wisdom tooth hurts or keeps getting infected. Get same-day dental care if the gum over it swells
• Your gums bleed or pull back, or an adult tooth feels loose, which are signs of gum disease
• A missing tooth makes chewing or speaking harder, or it bothers you. Your dentist can walk you through implants, bridges, dentures and braces

Get same-day dental care if swelling around a tooth spreads to your cheek or jaw, or a fever comes with tooth pain or swelling. If you have a fever and can’t see a dentist right away, go to the ER. Swelling with a fever but no clear dental cause needs medical care the same day.

Go to the ER now if swelling spreads fast or reaches your neck or eye, or you have trouble opening your mouth. A swollen or painful eye, vision changes or a lot of swelling inside your mouth also need the ER. Call 911 if you have trouble breathing, swallowing or speaking.