Yes, a baby can have no baby teeth, particularly at birth and for a period afterwards. While some babies are born with teeth, this is quite uncommon.
Timing of First Teeth
The timing of when a baby's first tooth appears varies significantly from one child to another. According to the reference, "when a baby sprouts a first tooth varies quite a bit."
Here's what the timing can look like:
- Being Born With a Tooth: In "rare cases, a baby is born with a first tooth." These are sometimes called "natal teeth."
- Getting Teeth Later: On the other hand, a baby "might not get one until she's at least a year old."
- Common Scenario: For many babies, the first tooth emerges sometime between 4 and 7 months of age, but this range is wide.
Therefore, if your baby doesn't have teeth yet, "It's probably normal" because the timing of tooth eruption is highly variable. The reference explicitly states that "when a baby sprouts a first tooth varies quite a bit."
It's important to remember that while babies can be born without teeth and can go for a significant period without teeth, they are typically born with a full set of 20 baby teeth (also called primary teeth) developing within their gums. The process we see is their eruption or cutting through the gum line.
