I’ve got two grandsons who have now lost baby teeth. The older was at the ‘normal’ age of 7, but the younger has now just lost his two lower milk teeth at just 5 1/2.
Does that portend any dental issues in later life? For the record, the teefs were cavity free and without any other dental disease.
Not necessarily, particularly if his teeth came in early in the first place - the earlier they come in, the earlier they fall out as a general rule. It just means that he’ll have a little longer to take care of his adult teeth. My daughter was late to get teeth and hers started falling out later than those of some of her friends, some of whom began losing theirs around the six-year mark.
That said, if he hasn’t been to a dentist yet it would be good for him to get a checkup. And then this question can be posed to the dentist.
kids start losing baby teeth starting at “about 6 years of age.” 5-1/2 isn’t really far off from that.
My 18yr old still has 2 baby teeth. There are no permanent teeth to replace them, Dentist said it happens more than people realize. We are to have 2 implants made, when he finishes with wisdom teeth extractions. BTW she lost her teeth late.
My son lost his bottom front teeth at around 5 1/2 and hasn’t lost any others since (he turns 7 in a month). The adult teeth grew in just fine, by the way and he has a clean bill of dental health from the dentist.
My daughter lost her incisors, canines and premolars between the ages of 6 & 8. She is now nearly 10 and lost a molar last week. She has also lost her belief in the tooth fairy. 
She has regular dental checkups and no issues.
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I believe the correct plural of teef is teeves.
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I lost my first tooth at three. I had all eight permanent front teeth in kindergarten. I ended up needing braces due to crowding and a bad overbite, but my father had also had a bad overbite and crooked teeth-- bad enough that he had braces during WWII. You had to have really bad teeth to get braces then. I have no idea whether he also lost his teeth early.
I have a lot of filling, but they are in my molars, which, while they came in sorta early, were not as prodigious as my front teeth, which remain filling-free. I brush like a fiend.
My son has fillings, although not as many as me. He and I have soft enamel, which makes us prone to cavities. He got sealants on his back teeth, which have prevented cavities to an extent. They had not been invented in time for me.
I work in a preschool, and we occasionally have a four-year-old who loses a front tooth. So “around six” is really a bell curve thing that can have plenty of outliers who don’t have anything wrong with them. Some kids don’t lose their first tooth until 10, and that’s OK too, as long as there is an adult tooth to replace it.
The poster who said the child should be under the care of a dentist is correct. A dentist can tell you if the tooth came out normally, or for some other reason, like gum disease. If the child sees a dentist regularly and you have never been alerted to a probably, there is doubtfully anything to worry about.
My grandson lost his first tooth at 6 and my granddaughter was 6-1/2.
He’s had his preschool dental checks, no obvious issues apparently. Thanks all for the reassurances though, I guess 5.5 isn’t TOO far off the curve.
And thanks for the spelling correction Senegoid. I pride myself on my spelling skills, but sometimes one slips through. 
I still have one of my baby teeth.
Oh yeah, I’m 59.
mmm
I was 7 1\2 when I lost my first baby tooth. I lost several after I started shaving.
Dentist here. Bath are well within the normal range. Four years old is not rare nor is eight. Early or late loss of anterior teeth isn’t usually a sign of problems later on. Early loss of posterior teeth can lead to crowding. Their dentist should be monitoring it all.
FWIIW I retained a two year molar until I was 56, no permanent underneath. My daughter is missing two perm. premolars and so had retained two year molars. On fractured at age 26 so we placed an implant, the other is doing fine.
Beckdawrek, Of course I am not your childs dentist, but is there a reason to remove the baby teeth and place implants? Often baby teeth can last many years past normal exfoliation date and two implant/crowns is no little thing monetarily or procedurally.
my dentist was a bit amused when my wisdom teeth emerged when I was 14. but since they all came up straight I still have them.
'course I started getting ear hair when I was in my mid 20s, so I figure by the time I’m 60 I’ll be 90.
rsat3acr…her dentist doesn’t think they will stay in much longer…altho’ he is willing to prevent extra extraction if he can. Right now he has them anchored with wires and brackets. So we are on wait and see mode. Our immediate concern is her wisdom teeth which are painful for her. Thx for your input!
and of course go with what he/she says.
My grandson got his first two teeth at 5 1/2 months. He’s in kindergarten now and has lost 6 teeth.
I lost 4 teefus before I turned 5. Before today, I wouldn’t have guessed that was abnormal, besides the spelling.
I turned 6 in September of first grade. In my first grade picture, I clearly have 4 adult bottom teeth and my top 2 incisors are almost done coming in. It’s not a pretty look. I’ve never had a cavity.
My wisdom teeth come in when I was 13. I am aware that that isn’t typical.
My wisdom teeth were in the x-rays when I was 10. By 12, the dentist could tell they were compacted. He started telling my mother when I was 13 they would have to come out. I tried to avoid it as long as possible, and wasn’t in any pain, but when I was 17, my aunt said enough was enough, and I was putting my butt in the car and we were going to the oral surgeon. My aunt could get me to do things my mother couldn’t.
I have a picture of myself at four and a half with six front teeth missing. I have one adult tooth on the bottom, and one baby tooth on top. I didn’t usually smile with my mouth open. My mother must have had me smile open-mouthed on purpose just to capture that.