Why Do Adult Teeth Come in Behind My Child’s Baby Teeth?

When your child loses their first tooth, you can expect their teeth to start falling out around age six, with their permanent teeth taking their place. But sometimes, their permanent teeth will erupt behind their baby teeth that haven’t fallen out. If this happens to your child, don’t worry! Our team at OC Kids Dental is here to help. In this article, we’ll explore why their adult teeth sometimes come in behind their baby teeth and what you can do to ensure their oral health is on track.

Why Do Adult Teeth Come In Behind My Child’s Baby Teeth?

There are a few reasons why adult teeth may erupt before the baby teeth fall out. It’s important to understand that when permanent teeth replace the baby teeth, the roots of the baby teeth dissolve naturally. Some reasons why their adult teeth may come in behind their baby teeth include the following:

The Root Hasn’t Dissolved: In most cases, the baby teeth’s roots haven’t fully dissolved yet, which can delay the eruption of the permanent teeth. In these cases, your pediatric dentist will either need to extract the baby tooth, or it will fall out naturally over time.
Permanent Teeth Haven’t Developed Yet: In other cases, the permanent teeth may start to develop but haven’t fully developed enough to allow the baby’s tooth roots to dissolve.
Overcrowding: If their mouth is crowded, then their mouth won’t have enough space for all their permanent teeth to emerge, causing them to come in behind the baby teeth.
Genetics: Some factors may involve their genetics, such as the size and shape of their mouth, which can cause their adult teeth to come in behind their baby teeth.

If you notice that your child’s adult teeth are coming in behind their baby teeth, then there are a few things you can do to ensure that their oral health is right on track:

Schedule a Dental Exam: Make sure to schedule a dental appointment for them as soon as possible. Scheduling an appointment with a pediatric dentist can help evaluate your child’s teeth and determine if any treatments are needed.
Monitor Your Child’s Teeth: Keeping an eye on your child’s teeth can help you keep track of any changes or issues. If you notice that your baby’s tooth isn’t falling out or that they’re experiencing pain or discomfort, make sure to contact your pediatric dentist.
Consider Intervention: Your pediatric dentist may recommend treatment options such as space maintainers or extractions to ensure that your child’s permanent teeth come in correctly.

Visit OC Kids Dental Today For Your Child’s First Appointment!

While adult teeth coming in behind baby teeth are a common experience, it’s important to keep track of your child’s health and visit your pediatric dentist if you notice any changes in their health. At OC Kids Dental, our team of pediatric dentists is dedicated to helping your child experience excellent dental health. If you’re concerned about your child’s oral health, then schedule an appointment with Dr. Cima Atabaki in Aliso Viejo, CA, by calling (949) 362-9860.

Your two-year-old might exhibit a brief increase in moodiness. Oh, this is just the terrible twos, you start to think. Did you know that the eruption of your toddler’s second teeth may affect their behavior? They can also be more challenging to handle than usual after their teeth begin to erupt.

What Can You Do For Your Child When Their Molars Start Growing?

The final set of teeth in the rear of the mouth is the second molar, or two-year molar. When your child is between 23 and 33 months old, they usually burst forth. Even the happiest child may grow agitated throughout this procedure since it can be unpleasant. It’s possible that your kid won’t be able to express what’s hurting him. Here are a few typical signs to watch out for:

Maybe your kid is drooling more than usual.
They might act particularly agitated.
Your kid may be biting on their fingers, clothes, or toys.
They could maintain a low-grade temperature of around 99 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you can, have a peek since the eruption zone has red gums.
disturbed sleep
The symptoms above might all get worse at night.

Along with physical signs, it’s not unusual to see your toddler’s mood alter as they battle with their molars coming in. Even the happiest child may grow agitated and grumpy throughout this procedure since it can be unpleasant and uncomfortable. The use of medication for two-year-old molar discomfort should be a last resort. The good news is that your child can find relief when their molars erupt, thanks to various proven treatments. Gum-cutting discomfort can be relieved by anything cool. Let your youngster chew on a damp towel chilled in the freezer to massage their gums. Apply a cold, moist piece of gauze or rub it with a cold spoon to soothe their gums. Finger massages to the gums can also be helpful. Firm, crisp, nutritious meals are also beneficial for applying pressure on the gums.

As soon as a child’s teeth erupt, tooth decay might develop. Because of this, parents start cleaning their kids’ teeth as soon as they can see them. However, waiting until a youngster is at ease can be best before starting. The average child has 20 primary (baby) teeth. The adult set of 32 permanent (adult) teeth starts to erupt behind them once the last of these are gone, typically between the ages of 11 and 14. Because their jawbone isn’t yet large enough for them to fit into position correctly, some children may take longer than others to erupt their permanent molars. A broader jaw will provide more space for more significant adult and future wisdom teeth.

Let OC Kids Dental Help Your Teething Child!

If you have concerns about your child’s oral health or need a pediatric dentist, OC Kids Dental would be honored to serve as your family’s dental office. Call us at (949) 362-9860, and we’ll be happy to assist you and your kid in getting through the teething phase.

The development of our oral health begins much earlier than many parents know. The first stages of our dental development start in the womb, with our teeth developing within our jaw as a fetus. Once we’re born, oral health care is vital to ensuring a future with healthy teeth. This becomes especially important when our primary (baby) teeth start coming in. These teeth set the stage for developing our adult smile. They can often reveal concerns before our permanent teeth arrive. This means that receiving dental care early is essential, and your child’s first orthodontic visit should occur before their ninth year. OC Kids Dental is here to help you navigate your child’s developmental years to help ensure they have a future with a healthy and beautiful smile.

When Should My Child Be Assessed For Braces?

Thankfully, not every child is going to find themselves in need of orthodontic care. However, it’s essential for those with overcrowded teeth, misaligned jaws, or complications caused by habits like sucking their thumb. It can spell the difference between a perfect smile and future health problems for these children. When we reach seven years of age, we can identify future problems and concerns based on observations made during a dental exam.

Once identified, a proper plan for addressing them can be developed, making it possible to significantly reduce or even eliminate these problems in their adult smile. While treatment typically can’t begin until after age 9, when the permanent teeth start to appear, this early diagnosis makes preparing in advance possible. During your child’s first orthodontic-focused appointment at OC Kids Dental, the following topics will be approached:

Overcrowding – Imaging will be taken to determine if your child is at risk of experiencing overcrowding. Those with this condition have more teeth than can comfortably fit in their mouth. This generally does not mean extra teeth as much as a jaw that has developed in a way that cannot accommodate the typical 32. Extraction followed by braces is a common approach to helping to generate a straight and beautiful smile.
Jaw Misalignment – Your child will also be checked for a misaligned jaw or malocclusion. This condition is where the upper and lower arches of teeth don’t properly align, resulting in a poor bite. While malocclusion can also result from overcrowding, jaw misalignment is often the cause. Identifying a jaw misalignment early can make it easier and faster to properly realign the jaw before the adult smile is fully realized.
Personal Habits – Thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, and mouth breathing can negatively impact your child’s oral health and smile formation. We can provide meaningful methods of reversing these habits or finding ways to address concerns such as mouth breathing.

All the information gathered during your child’s first orthodontic assessment with OC Kids Dental will be used to plan their future smiles. We’re dedicated to ensuring that our patients receive affordable, effective care. This often means starting early to reduce future costs and produce superior results.

Discover How Early Orthodontic Care Saves Smiles

Contact our team today by calling (949) 362-9860 to schedule your child’s next dental visit and discuss the benefits of early orthodontic assessment. Together we’ll help establish a treatment plan to ensure lasting oral health with proactive treatments today!

Most of us will experience potentially traumatic events throughout our lifetimes. When these things happen when we’re young, they can leave us with severe mental scars that last a lifetime. Kids who have gone through traumatic experiences must have a support network that understands how to assist them. By including data from the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress in its care guidelines, Advanced Pediatrics of Rockland works to meet the needs of its patients.

How Trauma-Informed Pediatric Care Protects Your Child

To better comprehend how traumatic events affect children in a healthcare environment, the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress was established 20 years ago. As their knowledge of pediatric stress increased, they created resources that gave medical professionals the tools they needed to use in their everyday practice. Workbooks and advice booklets are available to parents and kids in the healthcare environment.

Using a multidisciplinary strategy is one aspect of trauma-informed pediatric care that is emphasized. The word “multidisciplinary” refers to including professionals with various specialties and backgrounds in the treatment process. It’s crucial to understand that “trauma” is not strictly defined but highly subjective and experiential. Examples of situations that could cause stress include:

Being given an injection can be highly stressful and anxiety-provoking because of the syringe.
Fighting a fatal illness like cancer or being near someone who is.
Surviving an accident of any seriousness, but particularly one that is terrible or catastrophic.
Residing in a hostile or uncaring atmosphere.

The instruction of doctors by a Center for Pediatric Stress member facilitates the provision of trauma-informed pediatric care education. Online resources are also accessible for the one-on-one instruction that practitioners receive and the classroom instruction so we can keep our dentists up to date on the most recent techniques. This education is crucial because it can be challenging to recognize trauma in toddlers.

Children may find it difficult to express their emotions or repress them out of dread or embarrassment, contributing to this. Symptoms to look for include:

unusual anger outbursts or aggressive conduct
becoming reclusive
sudden loss of enthusiasm in long-time pastimes
changes in sleeping habits
sudden shifts in food choices, an increase or decline in appetite, and other dietary changes.

It’s critical to start getting your kid medical attention as soon as you notice symptoms like these. Even though there are many possible causes for some of these symptoms, it is essential to consider whether stress may be the cause.

Contact OC Kids Dental For Pediatric Care

It can be challenging to see our kids successfully through to adulthood. We have a responsibility as pediatric healthcare professionals to support parents as they navigate their child’s formative years. Through the use of pediatric trauma-informed care, we are better able to fight for your child’s health. We’re doing it right when we can make a child feel at ease while they receive medical treatment as part of a joyful or inspiring experience. Call (949) 362-9860 to immediately make an appointment at our Aliso Viejo, California, office! Your child’s oral and general health are our primary concerns.

Children experiencing lip-tied or tongue-tied can impact their health in various ways, including oral health. Tongue-tied and lip-tied are two very similar conditions that affect eating, speaking, and moving their mouth and can cause developmental problems with their dental health later in life. Luckily, these conditions can easily be treated. At OC Kids Dental, we can help you better understand these conditions, their causes, and how they can be treated!

How Lip-Ties and Tongues-Ties Affect Children And What It Means For Their Oral Health

Tongue and lip ties mean their tongues and lips cannot move freely. These conditions are caused by a more prominent frenulum in the mouth. The frenulum is a band of tissue along either the bottom of the tongue or at the top area of the lip line that assists with movement. If the frenulum is more prominent, it means that their mouths are restricted, which makes it harder for their mouths to develop, chew food, and pronounce words.

When left untreated, these conditions can cause further problems as they grow, increasing the risk of cavities, gum disease, and bite problems. However, it’s also somewhat rare. Some symptoms to look out for when caring for your child include infant fatigue when eating, painful breastfeeding, and poor weight gain during their newborn years.

Luckily, treating these conditions is relatively straightforward and risk-free, thanks to the expert care provided by pediatric dental surgeons. As specialists in pediatric oral surgery, they have many solutions on hand to help treat your child’s condition. These solutions include:

Frenectomies: A frenectomy is a simple surgery performed on infants and toddlers and works to remove the frenula for better mouth movement. Depending on the location of the frenulum, it can be performed under various types of sedation and performed on either the upper labial frenula or the lower lingual frenula.
Frenuloplasties: Frenuloplasty works to alter the frenula instead of removing it completely with the goal of loosening it or repositioning it enough to increase mobility. Like frenectomies, they are performed with various forms of sedation depending on the patient and frenula location.
Oral Myofunctional Therapy: Oral Myofunctional Therapy is a non-surgical treatment that helps reinforce movements to help your child breathe, swallow, and talk. As their facial muscles adapted to the larger frenula, the removal of the frenula means that they would need alternative therapy to help coordinate better mouth positions and movements.

Visit OC Kids Dental For Quality Pediatric Care and Lip-Tie or Tongue-Tie Consultations

At OC Kids Dental, our team of pediatric dentists is here for all of your child’s needs. We work to provide the best source of pediatric dental care throughout our communities through a calm, fun-loving environment. We have pride and passion for our patients and work to give them preventative dental care that helps them grow and experience excellent oral health for life. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Cima Atabaki at OC Kids Dental and learn more about our dental services, call (949) 362-9860!

Although there are many responsibilities, being a parent is also very rewarding. As parents, we are responsible for educating our kids on how to care for themselves. Oral hygiene is a vital part of a successful hygiene routine. Most parents do a fantastic job of teaching their children how to clean their teeth properly, but flossing is frequently more difficult.

How to Instruct Your Child to Floss Effectively

Around seven or eight, children can begin using dental floss independently, but it’s always early enough to educate them! If you started training your child to floss when they have two teeth next to one another, that would be beneficial. What makes cleaning crucial? Before we begin, we should answer this query. Although flossing is a close second, brushing is the first defense against decay, foul odor, and gum disease. Dental floss can get to parts of the mouth that brushes can’t. Plaque and food are frequently hidden between teeth and along the gingival line. If food fragments are not removed by flossing, cavities or gum disease may develop. Among the various varieties of floss are:

Traditional String Floss: Give your kid an 18-inch piece of floss, and have them wrap most of it around one finger, usually the pointer on the left or right hand. The person will then wind the remaining floss around one finger on the opposite hand, taking care not to wrap it too closely. Between each tooth, the finger with the most floss will release the most of it, and the other finger will gather up the released floss.
Flossing Picks: Many young children favor dental floss tools (and even many adults). Standard floss still outperforms them in efficacy despite being more straightforward. Tips are still an excellent alternative for kids with trouble using regular floss, but we suggest regular floss for adults. Dental floss picks are available in harp or Y designs. Slide the floss up and down the teeth as you usually would. Replace the pick when the floss starts to look worn. Rinse it between your teeth.

How do you make flossing fun when choosing a variety of floss to use with your child? Do it together! Play upbeat music, make goofy faces at yourself in the mirror, and start flossing. Ideally, your kid will enjoy brushing their teeth as much as they enjoy spending more time with you! A lovely aid for encouraging your child to floss daily is a flossing chart. Every time your child brushes their teeth, add a sticker to the board. Every time they floss for five days, reward them. Let them choose the mouthwash. Before beginning to teach your kid how to floss, take him to the store so he can select the type and flavor of floss, he wants to use. Having their preferred hue or flavor when they floss is a great incentive.

Let OC Kids Dental Help You Teach Your Child to Floss Correctly

Every six months, your child should visit a juvenile dentist for a dental cleaning, examination, brushing, and flossing. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Cima Atabaki at OC Kids Dentistry immediately, call (949) 362-9860!

Everyone wants to ensure that they protect their baby’s health. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of a healthy child, it’s common for parents to forget oral health matters. Protecting your infant’s oral health starts before the arrival of their first tooth and continues for a lifetime. Getting an early start on oral health practices have many benefits, including a healthy relationship with dental care and solid dental hygiene habits. The team here at OC Kids Dental wants to help parents and children get a solid start to life with great oral health. We put together this simple primer about pediatric dental hygiene to achieve this.

A Parents Primer For Pediatric Dental Hygiene

There’s a common misconception amongst new parents that oral hygiene isn’t crucial until your child’s adult teeth arrive. This myth isn’t just incorrect; it’s also dangerous to lasting oral health. Your child’s primary (baby) teeth have an essential role to play in their lifelong oral health. Their presence ensures that the jaw develops appropriately, leaving enough room for adult teeth to grow straight and healthy. Losing even a single tooth before it falls out naturally can have consequences for the future health of your child’s smile.

So how early do parents need to start taking action to protect their children’s oral health? Many are surprised to learn that this journey begins in the womb. Studies have revealed that the mother’s oral health can impact the oral health of her developing child. Mothers with poor dental health or unhealthy diets can expose their growing infant to harmful bacteria. This means protecting your baby’s oral health starts with caring for your own.

There are five steps that parents should follow to protect their infant’s oral health:

Pregnant women need to arrange for an exam and cleaning as part of their second-trimester care. This helps to reduce the risk of transmitting bacteria and infection to their child.
Cosmetic treatments should be avoided until after the child is born.
Parents should wash their child’s gums in the morning, evening, and after every feeding with damp gauze throughout their first year or until they begin to teethe.
Your child’s first dental appointment should take place by their first birthday. However, if a tooth should erupt before this, then their first appointment should be scheduled soon after.

Your child’s first visit will include a comprehensive evaluation of their developing oral health. This visit will also include educational opportunities for the parents. You’ll also be taught how to start flossing your child’s teeth moving forward. It’s a good habit to start right away, as it will help your child become accustomed to the process.

Learn More About Pediatric Dental Hygiene With Our Team

If you’re pregnant, planning on becoming pregnant, or have recently given birth, it’s time to schedule your first pediatric health visit with Dr. Cima Atabaki in Aliso Viejo, CA. They’ll help you prepare for the exciting road ahead by teaching you how to ensure your child develops excellent oral health. You can schedule your first pediatric dental exam by calling (949) 362-9860 and finding a convenient day and time with the help of our staff.

Breastfeeding provides countless benefits for both mother and newborn, providing them with the essential nutrients they need to grow, helping develop their immune system against diseases, and protecting against risks such as asthma, ear infections, and obesity. However, breastfeeding can also impact the oral health of both baby and mom. As an important and personal decision, breastfeeding can have a positive impact on you and your baby, and here’s how:

How Breastfeeding Impacts Your Child’s Oral Health

For breastfeeding parents, breastfeeding is a beautiful way to connect and build a relationship with their child, but it can also benefit their child’s oral health. When parents choose to breastfeed their newborn, various studies have shown massive benefits, including:

Reduces Infant Tooth Decay: Some studies show that breastfed children are less likely to suffer from tooth decay than a child who’s formula fed during the first year of life.
Reduced Risk of Tooth Alignment: In other studies, breastfed babies were less likely to have tooth alignment issues such as open and cross bites during the first six months. Breastfeeding is reported to provide these benefits compared to baby bottle feeding, as baby bottles can cause a higher risk of tooth decay in infants.
Avoids Baby Bottle Tooth Decay: Baby bottle tooth decay occurs when the gums and budding teeth are coated in the formula or breast milk liquid for extended periods.

In other cases, however, breastfeeding infants can also be susceptible to tooth decay, depending on the circumstances. In most cases, breastfeeding infants who fall asleep can have unswallowed milk remaining in their mouths and become more vulnerable to tooth decay.

Our Tips to Promote Your Infant’s Oral Health at OC Kids Dental

Because every child and every mother is different, the choice to breastfeed is a personal decision that requires a lot of consideration. Mothers should stop breastfeeding when they think it’s best for them and their baby, and this decision can be best reached through guidance from your pediatric dentist. Some tips we can provide to help ensure good health for your newborn include:

Wipe Your Newborn’s Gums: When breastfeeding or bottle feeding, make sure to wipe the gums at least once a day, from their birthday to their first tooth eruption, to protect their gums from bacteria.

Care For Their Budding Teeth: Make sure to continue wiping their gums and teeth with a damp cloth after their feedings and before bedtime to help them maintain good oral hygiene.

Once Your Infant Has Several Teeth: Once their teeth start to show up, start using water and a soft, child-size toothbrush to clean their teeth, and use a smear of fluoridated toothpaste to help them develop strong, healthy teeth.

It’s important to remember that your infant’s first dental checkup is recommended by their first birthday. At OC Kids Dental, we can provide their first checkup, help care for their budding teeth throughout their childhood, and give them an excellent outlook on their oral health. For more information, please schedule an appointment with us today to get started!

For reasons ranging from reasonable to urban myth, many children have fears of sitting in a dentist’s chair. In many cases, it’s as simple as a fear of the unknown. In others, it can be the result of a bad experience or perpetuated myths about the pain involved with dental care. Regardless of the reason, dental anxiety can make it difficult for people of all ages to get the dental care they need throughout their lives. It’s for this reason that OC Kids Dental has taken special care to provide a safe and welcoming environment for our patients.

How We Help Children That Are Afraid Of The Dentist

Creating good dental experiences early on helps lay the groundwork for a comfortable relationship with dental care for years to come. Dental anxiety, also known as general dental phobia, is more common than you might expect. Nearly 10% of all Americans avoid anything to do with going to the dentist out of fear of the dentist. For many, this isn’t simple anxiety or nervousness but an actual paralyzing fear of anything involved with receiving dental care. Just mentioning going to the dentist can result in a full-on panic attack in some people.

Understanding the fears of our young patients helped us take steps to address them. Below are five common foci of dental phobia:

Pain – A fear of pain is the most prominent form of dental phobia. This can result from previously painful experiences and is aggravated by the anticipation of future pain. Speaking to your children about these fears, with our team’s support, can help alleviate these concerns and set your child at ease.
Fear Of Losing Control – Getting into the dental chair can feel like relinquishing any control over what happens to you next. Overcoming this is achieved by ensuring that we give our young patients a sense of agency in their care. We make sure they’re comfortable, tell them what we’d like to do next, get their permission to proceed, and ensure they feel in control of their care.
Unpleasant History With Dental Care – As we mentioned in the section on pain, these experiences can stay with you. It doesn’t have to be something experienced by the patient. Bad experiences in the family can filter down to the perception children have about their care. Even those shared by schoolmates can cause this kind of fear. As with the other factors on this list, it is best addressed by open and honest communication with our patients.
Sensory Onslaught – There are so many odd tools that produce strange sensations in the dental office. The high-pitched whine of dental drills, the strange sensation of a scaling tool scraping against the tooth, and uncomfortable gel trays, for instance. Dental lasers help to remove the whine of the rotary dental tool. We also take other steps to produce a relaxing and inviting environment.

Come See OC Kids Dental For An Anxiety-Free Experience

If you have a child that’s afraid of the dentist, bring them to see the team at OC Kids Dental! We’ll introduce them to dental care aimed at making kids smile. We’ll talk to them about their fears, empower them with decisions, and provide an environment that’s soothing and inviting. We look forward to hearing from you!

When you discover that you’re pregnant, the first reaction is excitement. While you’re pregnant, it’s the perfect opportunity to start thinking about your child’s overall and oral health. The “perinatal” period starts during weeks twenty and twenty-eight and extends for a month after the child is born. When you’re pregnant, you’re thinking about a million other things, and a visit to the dentist is the last thing on your mind.

There is a defined connection between gum disease in the mother and premature babies, babies born with low birth weight, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Therefore, mothers should maintain superior oral hygiene throughout their pregnancy. Doing so will ensure the oral health of your baby.

Why You Should Have Regular Perinatal Dental Checkups

Cariogenic bacteria in mothers is connected with multiple adverse effects in babies and children. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry suggests that expecting mothers continue to get regular dental checkups to prevent these adverse effects. These checkups can also intervene and treat any issues in the mother before they become an issue for infants.

Brush – For children under two, use a soft-bristled brush and a minute amount of ADA-approved non-fluoridated toothpaste. Gently brush your child’s teeth twice daily.
Floss – The moment two adjacent teeth grow in your child’s mouth, cavities can form. Your pediatric dentist can show you how to floss your child’s teeth to prevent cavities.
Pacifier use –Pacifiers are a lovely way to soothe your child when they’re upset. Ask your dentist what pacifiers are orthodontically correct to ensure the best pacifier for your child. Avoid coating the pacifier in honey or sweetened liquids, as these can cause cavities.
Use drinking glasses – Bottles and sippy cups allow small amounts of liquid to enter the mouth. Sugary liquids such as milk, soda, juice, formula, breast milk, or sweetened water can contribute to cavities. When using sippy cups, only offer your child water and stop using them after a year.
Visit the pediatric dentist – After your child’s first birthday, start seeing a pediatric dentist. This “well baby” appointment will give the dentist a chance to examine your baby. They’ll be able to ensure that there aren’t any issues with their teeth or jaw development.
Wipe gums – As soon as your baby’s first tooth emerges, they’re at risk for cavities. If your baby doesn’t have any teeth yet, wiping the gums with a damp cloth after feeding can reduce the number of oral bacteria.

Your Relationship with Your Pediatric Dentist is Vital

Even if you’ve only just discovered you’re pregnant, it’s vital to start looking for a pediatric dentist. While you’re pregnant, ensuring your oral health is just as essential. Make sure your dentist is aware of the pregnancy and talk to them about how to ensure your child’s oral health. Once your baby is born, establishing a relationship with your child’s dentist is essential. Your child will be seeing this dentist for years, and if you’re prepared to address concerns at an early age, your child will thank you. Oral health, for your child, is just as vital as overall health.