: a temporary tooth of a young mammal that in human dentition includes four incisors, two canines, and four molars in each jaw : milk tooth, deciduous tooth
If one of my sisters or brothers or I lost a baby tooth, we always put it in an envelope under our pillow.—
Ian Frazier
Ian FrazierBy the time a dog is about a year old, the baby teeth will have been gradually replaced by 42 permanent teeth …—Tom Ewing
Tom Ewing
: a temporary tooth of a young mammal that in human dentition includes four incisors, two canines, and four molars in each jaw : baby tooth, deciduous tooth
Whereas most mammals retain their milk teeth for months, some bat species lose these teeth soon after birth and have adult dentition even before they are weaned.—Rick A. Adams and Scott C. Pedersen
Rick A. Adams and Scott C. Pedersen… a restless, rambunctious boy, who at the beginning of the year had lost two front milk teeth that still showed no signs of being replaced by adult ones.—Edwidge Danticat
Edwidge DanticatExamples of baby tooth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Popular Science, 11 Mar. 2026
The school-age kids, still skittish around the animals and equipped with smiles that reveal missing baby teeth, were meticulously (but nervously) grooming their horses.
—Jhair Romero, Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2026
Katie Cottingham, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
As Ana Cristina Herreros explains, long ago in Spain children flung their milk teeth up onto the roofs of their houses so that a Tooth Mouse might collect them.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, wsj.com, 7 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for baby tooth
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Noun
Parents shouldn’t fret, though, if their 15-month-old has yet to cut their first baby tooth.
—Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Popular Science, 11 Mar. 2026
The school-age kids, still skittish around the animals and equipped with smiles that reveal missing baby teeth, were meticulously (but nervously) grooming their horses.
—Jhair Romero, Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
One set appeared to be baby teeth, also called milk teeth, while the others were adult teeth.
—Katie Cottingham, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
As Ana Cristina Herreros explains, long ago in Spain children flung their milk teeth up onto the roofs of their houses so that a Tooth Mouse might collect them.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, wsj.com, 7 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for baby tooth
Cite this Entry
“Baby tooth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baby%20tooth. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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