Your Questions, Answered

  • The AAPD recommends to see children soon after their first teeth appear no later than their first birthday. These are simple exams that are designed to get your child used to the concept of dental visits and to make sure that their oral development is off to a good start.

  • Infants without teeth should have their gums wiped out with a wet rag or sponge tipped applicator.

    Ideally brushing with a soft bristled, small headed toothbrush should be used at least once per day before bedtime. It is recommended that you use a strengthening toothpaste with fluoride for all children. Teeth that are touching should be flossed daily using floss pick or string floss.

  • Ideally, children will outgrow these habits before they become harmful. Three is the “magic age” when stopping a habit can prevent long-term damage.

    Pacifiers are recommended to prevent SIDS in infants under 1 year. The most important concern is to note the frequency and intensity of sucking. A child who sucks their thumb for a few hours at night usually has less oral damage than a child who sucks on their thumb consistenly throughout the day.

    Please mention these habits during your child's regular exams so we can properly monitor your child's growth and or recommend cessation techniques.

  • It is often tempting to nurse an infant to sleep or let the child take a bottle to bed. These habits can lead to massive tooth decay as the sugars in the milk, formula, or juice are left on the teeth during the night allowing for bacteria to produce acid very rampantly. We recommend brushing your child’s teeth before bedtime and providing only water at night. This is what is known as “baby bottle tooth decay or nursing decay”

  • Avoid nursing children to sleep or putting anything other than water in their bed-time bottle. Also, learn the proper way to brush and floss your child's teeth. Take your child to a pediatric dentist regularly to have his/her teeth and gums checked. The first dental visit should be scheduled by your child's first birthday.

  • On average the two lower front teeth (central incisors) erupt at about six months of age, followed shortly by the two upper central incisors. During the next 18 to 24 months, the rest of the baby teeth appear, although not in orderly sequence from front to back. All 20 baby or "primary" teeth should be present at three years of age. Don’t worry if your kid’s teeth haven’t come out yet or have come out earlier… the eruption sequence of the teeth are what we look at more for abnormalities.

  • In general children and teenagers benefit from a visit to our office every six months in order to prevent cavities and other dental problems. Specific recommendations may be made for your child depending on decay risk, age, and adjunct treatment needs. Sometimes we can arrest or stop a cavity early, thereby preventing the need to place a filling or do more invasive procedures.

  • This is actually an optical illusion! Permanent teeth are naturally white during eruption, however because baby teeth are pure white, the permanent teeth may appear darker or more yellow when arranged between primary teeth. Don’t worry, once your child has all his or her permanent teeth, you will notice teeth look white again. If you have concerns about whitening, please let us know!

  • Even baby teeth cause pain. Waiting until a tooth falls out rather than replacing or restoring the tooth can possibly lead to facial infections, and expensive orthodontic problems that could have been avoided. We recommend carefully restoring all decayed teeth to optimal health. We can determine if the tooth will fall out soon by taking an X-Ray to verify the permanent teeth expected time of eruption.

  • A pediatric dentist has two to three years specialty residency training following dental school and limits his/her practice to treating children and patients with special needs. A family dentist usually comes straight from dental school or has taken a one year post graduate residency in general dentistry.

    A general or family dentist can see children however they may not cater to your children’s temperaments and behaviors, perform children specific treatments like stainless steel crowns, space maintainers, or sedation.Many general dentists only get a few weeks rotation in the specialty of pediatrics during dental school and many refer to pediatric dentist for most complex procedures with children.

  • If your child has a dental emergency after regular office hours, and you need to talk to someone please call or text our office. You will be able to reach the on-call doctor to help guide you during your emergency.

  • Children who grind their teeth (bruxism) are not simply displaying a harmless habit — it’s a sign that something may be out of balance. Here are the main reasons bruxism can occur and what to watch for:

    • Airway issues

      • Mouth breathing, snoring, or frequent nasal congestion can indicate partial airway obstruction during sleep. Children may grind to reposition the jaw and open the airway. Untreated airway problems (adenotonsillar hypertrophy, nasal obstruction, or sleep-disordered breathing) can affect sleep quality, behavior, and growth.

      • Signs to look for: loud snoring, gasping or choking during sleep, restless sleep, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, or behavioral changes like hyperactivity or attention problems.

    • Nervous system dysregulation (including stress/anxiety and developmental factors)

      • Bruxism can be a response to stress, anxiety, or strong emotions. It can also be linked to autonomic nervous system imbalance where the body’s stress-response is overactive or poorly regulated.

      • Signs to look for: teeth grinding during times of emotional upset, increased clenching when anxious, daytime jaw tension, headaches, or a pattern that correlates with stressful events (school changes, family stress, medical procedures).

      • In young children, immature nervous system control (especially in toddlers or kids with neurodevelopmental disorders) can also contribute.

    • Teething and oral discomfort

      • For infants and toddlers, teething pain and the emergence of new teeth can lead to increased jaw movement and grinding as they try to relieve discomfort.

      • Signs to look for: onset of grinding coinciding with new tooth eruption, drooling, irritability, and chewing on objects.

    Why it matters

    • Ongoing grinding can damage baby and permanent teeth, cause tooth sensitivity, wear enamel, lead to jaw pain, and contribute to headaches or disrupted sleep.

    • Because bruxism can be a symptom of a larger medical issue (airway or nervous system concerns), it’s important not to dismiss it as “normal” behavior.

    If you’ve noticed your child grinding their teeth, bring this up at their next dental or pediatric visit. Early assessment can protect their teeth and help identify any underlying airway, neurologic, or comfort-related causes.

  • Airway health is a critical part of pediatric dental care. Children's jaw development, tooth position, and oral habits can affect breathing during sleep and daytime airway function. Pediatric dentists can screen, evaluate, and recommend treatments that support proper jaw growth and reduce the risk of airway problems such as snoring, mouth breathing, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). And luckily, our doctors are trained at evaluating your child’s airway during our clinical exam with use of panoramic radiographs and clinical assessment tools.

    How airway issues relate to dental and jaw development

    • Narrow upper jaw (maxillary constriction) reduces nasal airway space and can force mouth breathing.

    • Retruded lower jaw (mandibular retrognathia) can allow the tongue to fall back during sleep, increasing airway obstruction risk.

    • Delayed or abnormal dental eruption and crowded teeth often reflect limited jaw space.

    • Oral habits—thumb-sucking, prolonged pacifier use, extended bottle feeding, and chronic mouth breathing—can shape the jaw and palate in ways that promote airway compromise.

    • Adenoid and tonsil hypertrophy, allergies, and nasal obstruction are medical contributors that interact with dental and skeletal factors.

    What pediatric dentists assess during airway evaluation

    • Medical and sleep history: snoring, gasping or choking during sleep, restless sleep, daytime sleepiness, behavioral issues, recurrent ear infections, chronic nasal congestion, and family history of sleep-disordered breathing.

    • Breathing mode: observation of nasal versus mouth breathing at rest.

    • Facial and jaw growth pattern: forward vs. retruded chin, long face, or narrow midface.

    • Oral exam: high vaulted or narrow palate, dental crowding, crossbites, overjet/overbite, size and posture of the tongue, tonsil visibility, and lip seal at rest.

    • Functional exam: swallowing pattern, nasal airflow (simple tests), and range of motion of the jaw.

    • Photographs, dental models, and radiographs (cephalometric X-rays or CBCT when indicated) to document skeletal relationships and airway space.

    • Collaboration with pediatricians, ENTs (ear, nose, and throat specialists), sleep medicine physicians, and myofunctional therapists when needed.

    Common dental/orthodontic treatments that can improve airway and jaw development

    We will be happy to discuss coordinated care to help your child should airway be a concern.

  • It is very common to see two rows of teeth on the bottom jaw as your child is entering their mixed dentition stage. Because their jaws are small there is often very little space for permanent teeth to erupt so they usually erupt behind the baby teeth. As long as the baby teeth are wiggly, there is usually no need to have a dentist remove them. Once the baby teeth come out, there will be space for the teeth to be pushed by the tongue into the correct place.