Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How many permanent teeth do humans normally have?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
tooth
Cross section of an adult human molar.
Humans normally have 32 permanent teeth in their adult dentition. These teeth replace the 20 primary, or deciduous, teeth that appear during childhood.12
The permanent dentition consists of the following teeth in each jaw:
* 4 incisors1
* 2 canines1
* 4 premolars1
* 6 molars1
While the primary teeth are shed as the jaw grows, the 12 adult molars erupt behind the primary teeth and do not replace any of them.1