---
title: "What Is Mixed dentition? Dental Glossary | Town Center Dental"
description: "Mixed dentition is the stage of childhood when both baby teeth and adult teeth are in the mouth at the same time."
url: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/mixed-dentition
publisher: Town Center Dental
phone: +1-636-273-5866
quote: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment
---

Pediatric

# Mixed dentition

Mixed dentition is the stage of childhood when both baby teeth and adult teeth are in the mouth at the same time.

This stage runs from about age 6 to around age 12 or 13. During it, the first adult molars and the front teeth appear, and the baby teeth fall out one by one. A study in the NIH library says mixed dentition is the stage where both primary and permanent teeth are present, and so it is the time for developing occlusion, or the bite. Teeth can look uneven or crowded for a while, and that is often normal. Dentists watch spacing and jaw growth in this stage. If a problem shows, early care such as [interceptive orthodontics](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/interceptive-orthodontics) or a [space maintainer](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/space-maintainer) may be discussed. See [primary teeth](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/primary-teeth-baby-teeth) and our page on [dentistry for kids](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/dentistry-for-kids).

[Town Center Dental can helpDentistry for Kids](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/dentistry-for-kids)

## Related terms

-   [Primary teeth (baby teeth)](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/primary-teeth-baby-teeth)
-   [Permanent teeth](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/permanent-teeth)
-   [Interceptive orthodontics](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/interceptive-orthodontics)
-   [Space maintainer](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/space-maintainer)
-   [Tooth eruption](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/tooth-eruption)

## Sources

1.  [NIH PubMed Central: Applicability of Different Mixed Dentition Analyses among Children Aged 11-13 Years in Chennai Population](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7366760/)

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