The first teeth appear around the six-month mark, but it can take up to a year for the first teeth to come through. The average child has a complete set of twenty teeth by the time they reach three years old.
Baby teeth have an extra special function. They act as place markers for adult teeth. Baby teeth help keep permanent teeth straight. Some children lose baby teeth early, which can put their future teeth out of balance. This can cause crooked teeth as there is nothing to stop the new teeth from moving into the empty space created by that freshly made gap. If the spaces remain, then their back teeth will shift when they come together and can create lifelong problems with their jaw joints if not corrected with braces.