Is it okay for my child to use a pacifier?

September 22nd, 2021

Parents often wonder whether or not use of a pacifier is good or not - "will this affect my child's teeth?", "will this affect their jaws?" Early use of pacifiers is considered normal! Only prolonged use of the pacifier can cause changes in the position of your child's teeth and jaws. How often your child has the pacifier in their mouth, how long they keep it in their mouth each time, and how hard they are sucking on the pacifier are all factors that can contribute to how your child's teeth may be affected.

At ages younger than 3, pacifier use is considered normal because this is part of your child's coping mechanism and comfort system. As your child gets older, they gain more skills in order to help comfort themselves without the need of a pacifier. Our goal is to wean your child's pacifier habit by age 4 years in order to prevent any changes in your child's teeth. There is a possibility that changes may happen earlier than age 4 years, and your child's dentist will look out for these changes at each dental visit.

We all know how hard it is to break a habit, so here are some things your child's dentist may recommend to help with stopping your child's pacifier habit:

  1. Sticker charts - This is a reward system where your child can get a sticker for every day that they do not use their pacifier. After a certain amount of stickers collected, your child can receive a prize (that you decide together as parent and child)!
  2. Alternative comfort object - Since your child is using their pacifier for comfort, you can help them choose another object that may bring them comfort that they can trade out their pacifier for. They may choose a teddy bear or a toy that they can have with them whenever they need the comfort!
  3. Pacifier fairy - For children who are older, you can tell them about the pacifier fairy. The pacifier fairy collects pacifiers when children are ready to give it up - these pacifiers will be collected to be given to children who are in need of pacifiers. (Of course - this is all make-believe and you as the parent will be hiding away the pacifier, but this will allow your child to feel happy about giving their pacifier away for someone else!).

The biggest thing we must remember when trying to stop habits is that we don't want to punish your child for the habit. We want to encourage them to stop the habit on their own, not give them any consequences for its use. The stopping of a habit relies on your child's want and ability to stop the habit on their own!

Your child's dentist will work with you as a team to make sure pacifier use doesn't affect your child's teeth to give them their best smiles!

How often does my child need to see the dentist?

August 19th, 2021

Parents usually wonder how often they need to take their child to the dentist. "Since they are just baby teeth that are going to fall out, we don't have to bring our child to the dentist very often right?" This isn't necessarily true! The health of baby teeth is really important to ensure that your child's adult teeth will also come in nice and healthy!

At minimum, it is recommended that your child sees a dentist at least twice a year. Remember the rules of two's - brush 2 times a day, 2 minutes each time, and visit the dentist 2 times a year!

But sometimes, your child's dentist may recommend your child to be seen more than twice a year, such as every 3 months instead of every 6 months. Here's a few reasons why:

  1. Your child may have some teeth that are starting to have cavities. These teeth do not have cavities that require any fillings yet, so your child's dentist wants to see your child more often to closely monitor those teeth! At these visits, your child's dentist can go over different ways to keep the teeth clean and to catch things that may be causing your child's cavities to get worse!
  2. Your child may have a habit that affects your child's teeth, such as thumb sucking. Prolonged thumb sucking after the age of 4 years old can cause changes in your child's jaw and how your child's teeth grow in. By seeing your child's dentist more often, they can more easily track the changes that are happening and work together with you to slowly guide your child towards stopping their habit.
  3. Some children come to the dentist very anxious due to past dental experiences or the child may have special health care needs that prevents them from feeling safe in new environments. Having visits that are more often and less far apart can allow your child to feel more comfortable with the dental environment and turn it into a safe space!

Your child's dentist and dental team are always here to answer all of your questions and provide the best care for your child!

Did you know that your child has to see the dentist before they start kindergarten?

August 5th, 2021

In the State of California, state law requires your child receive an assessment of their oral health as part of school readiness activities for kindergarten entry. You are required to check with your child's school for the appropriate forms and details that are required.

Why is this a requirement? Many California children have a lack of access to dental care. Dental disease is one of the most common reasons for school absences. Pain from toothaches makes it hard for children to concentrate and learn!

In 2006, AB 1433 was signed into law as the kindergarten dental check up requirement. This law helps schools identify the children suffering from untreated dental disease and helps parents establish a dental home for their children!

Now that summer is coming to an end and school is starting up soon, don't forget to make an appointment for your child to see the dentist! What better way to start the school year than with bright and healthy smiles!

My child's baby teeth aren't growing in at the times they are supposed to, should I be worried?

July 23rd, 2021

Baby teeth growing in! This is a big topic amongst parents of our youngest patients. "When should I expect the teeth to come in?" and "My other kid got their teeth by this time already but she's not growing any yet" are just some common things that we hear from parents!

The chart above shows you when we expect the different baby teeth to grow in. Usually by 3 years of age, your child should have all 20 baby teeth. BUT! The most important thing to remember is that every child is different! Not everyone gets their baby teeth in at the same time.

When pediatric dentists check your child's mouth, we are not going through a checklist to see if the teeth that are supposed to be there have come in. We are looking at the order that the different type of teeth come in, and we are feeling your child's gums to see if we can feel under the gums the baby teeth that haven't come yet.

If teeth grow in out of order, this may point to certain reasons such as: your child may be missing the tooth that hasn't come in yet, there may be something in the gums/bone that is preventing the tooth to come in, or your child's tooth is just taking its time to come in! Even if teeth grow in out of order, it isn't an immediate reason to worry!

Your dentists are always there to help answer any questions you may have and to help your child develop their beautiful smile!

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