Process of development of the permanent teeth.

Dental development begins in the first trimester of prenatal life, when the tips or cusps of the primary or deciduous teeth start to form, and it ends (in most individuals) when the root ends of the third permanent molars fully calcify and finally close. From start to finish, development and exfoliation (shedding) of the 20 deciduous teeth and the development of the 32 permanent teeth occupies a period of more than two decades.

"Teething," the emergence of the deciduous teeth, begins in the middle of the first year of life, and ends in the second year with the emergence of the second deciduous molars (symbolized as "dm2"). Some discomfort is associated with the piercing of the gums, especially so for the large deciduous molars; the permanent teeth may also cause some discomfort in the course of emergence through the gums, especially...