My child grinds their teeth!

My child grinds their teeth a lot. Is that normal?

As a pediatric dentist, many parents come in to the office concerned about their child grinding their teeth at night. They complain how loud it and are worried that their son/daughter is going to break their teeth. They often ask what they can do and if this is alright. The short answer is that most kids grind their teeth and generally grow out it by 7-8 years of age without any intervention. Very few children end up with symptoms from childhood grinding. Very few children experience any sensitivity or other symptoms as a result of the grinding.

Bruxism (teeth clenching and grinding) in adults is often the result of stress and anxiety. However, in children nobody knows exactly why this occurs. Some possible reasons why are as new teeth erupt, the alignment and bite change slightly. As a result children grind their teeth to reestablish a stable bite. Other theories involve minor changes in inner ear pressure. In rare instances bruxism can be a result of sleep apnea or sleep disorder breathing. This is one of the few instances where treatment may be needed.

So when should you be concerned? If your child is having trouble sleeping then, as mentioned above, they may have a sleep disorder. When this happens, a sleep study is often ordered and the child is evaluated through a sleep study. If tooth sensitivity occurs, dental treatment may be needed. Persistent headaches as a result of grinding may also require some form of intervention. Finally if the grinding persists beyond 9-10 years of age, there may be an underlying cause that needs to be addressed.

For the most part, while the clenching and grinding sound may be annoying, loud and disruptive, it usually resolves without treatment. If you are concerned, don't hesitate to reach out and bring your child in to our office, First Smile Pediatric Dentistry, so we can take a look.

Irvine Emergency Dentist

Emergency Dental Care for Children in Irvine

Do you know what you would do if your child ever had a dental emergency? We hope that this never occurs, but should it happen, contact us at First Smile Pediatric Dentistry. Our Irvine emergency dentist, Dr. Rabin Marfatia, can provide your child with emergency dental care, when needed. If your child experiences a dental emergency, contact our office and let us know that you need to have an emergency appointment for your child. In certain cases, our staff may give you specific instructions on what to do next. For example, if your child has a tooth knocked out of his or her mouth, time is definitely of the essence. Our office staff will let you know how you can safely transport the tooth to our dental office. In cases like this, it may be possible for our dentist to reinsert the tooth into your child’s mouth so that the tooth will not need to be lost and replaced with an artificial tooth. If the tooth is knocked out, do your best to locate the tooth. Pick it up by the enamel portion and gently rinse it under cool water. Never attempt to scrub the tooth or use any type of soap on it. If possible, put the tooth back into the tooth socket and keep it held in place with a clean washcloth. If this is not possible, you can put the tooth into a container of milk or in saliva. Then contact us immediately. If the tooth that was knocked out was a baby tooth, rinse the child’s mouth out with water, and apply any pressure if there is bleeding. This tooth cannot be reinserted, but it is important that your child’s mouth is still examined for any problems relating to trauma. If a tooth is chipped, you will also want to call our office so your child can be seen by our Irvine emergency dentist. Seeing our dentist quickly will reduce any chance of infection. If you ever need the services of our Irvine emergency dentist, never hesitate to contact our office for an emergency appointment. First Smile Pediatric Dentistry 250 E. Yale Loop, Suite 205 Irvine, CA 92604 (949) 299-1111

Irvine Children's Dentist

Preparing your child for their first dental visit in Irvine

A trip to see our Irvine children's dentist can be a perfectly pleasant, stress-free event for you and your child. We at First Smile Pediatric Dentistry have arranged our office to suit the needs and sensibilities of our young patients. And as a result, preparing him or her for the first time coming here is surprisingly simple.

As you are most likely aware, children tend to resist any trip to see a doctor. But we find that in addition to creating and maintaining an environment that is conducive to feeling comfortable, being honest with kids about what to expect is an effective tool. Even though the equipment that our Irvine children's dentist uses can look scary, our number one commitment is to provide pain-free checkups and treatments for her or him. Of course, we cannot guarantee absolutely no pain at all ever, but if something may cause pain, it is better to direct about it. The establishment of trust is very important. An initial dental examination will involve a physical and visual inspection of your child's teeth and the rest of the mouth to determine if there are any obvious issues that need to be addressed. X-rays will most likely be taken. This is to get a close-up look at what's going on inside your child's teeth. A teeth cleaning will also be done. The priority of our Irvine children's dentist is to help you to prevent cavities for your child. As part of an ongoing partnership in that, you can look forward to asking any questions that you have. In addition, you will be given valuable guidance for helping your child to use proper brushing and flossing technique, how to deal with teething, and the role that fluoride treatments can play in cavity prevention.

Schedule an appointment for your child. Contact our office today.

250 E. Yale Loop, Suite 205
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 299-1111

Irvine Kids Dental Office

Sedation Dental for Kids in Irvine If you are looking for an expert pediatric dentist who can also provide your child with dental sedation, you will want to visit us at First Smile Pediatric Dentistry. At our Irvine kids dental office, our top-notch pediatric dentist, Dr. Rabin Marfatia, will provide your child with thorough and gentle dental care, including dental sedation, if necessary. We want to make sure that your child always has a healthy attitude toward dental care, and feel that there is no reason why your child should ever have to suffer with any pain or fear of dental treatment. Our pediatric dentist has extensive experience in nitrous oxide sedation, oral sedation, and treating young patients with IV sedation. At our Irvine kids dental office, our pediatric dentist will know exactly how to set your child at ease, and will probably explain to your child exactly what type of dental care is going to be given. Sometimes, all that is needed to make your child feel relaxed is nitrous oxide sedation, also known as laughing gas. Your child will breathe in the nitrous oxide through his or her nose. Nitrous oxide is an extremely safe form of inhaled sedation. Your child will be totally conscious and awake during the entire treatment, but the nitrous oxide will keep him or her relaxed and make them less aware of the treatment. It can help children who have a severe gag reflex as well. We also offer a liquid oral sedative that will be administered to your child based on their weight. The sedation generally takes about 15 minutes to begin, after which your child will be brought into the treatment room. Your child will also receive nitrous oxide sedation at the same time. During treatment all of your child’s vital signs will be monitored. It is best used for children who are extremely anxious and who cannot cooperate with instructions. We also offer IV sedation, under an anesthesiologist’s care. To meet with our pediatric dentist at our Irvine kids dental office about dental sedation, contact us today. First Smile Pediatric Dentistry 250 E. Yale Loop, Suite 205 Irvine, CA 92604 (949) 299-1111

Kids Dentist in Irvine, CA

Are you seeking an Irvine child’s dentist and hoping to be paired with a local specialist who can set you on a personalized treatment path that meets your individual needs, style, and budget? Look no further than First Smile Pediatric Dentistry. With the help of our highly trained and seasoned specialists, you can breathe a little easier knowing your family can benefit from the pediatric dental services you need. You’ll be sending out Christmas cards showing off your family’s perfectly straight, pearly whites in no time!

At First Smile Pediatric Dentistry, our staff of kind and welcoming professionals takes pride in offering top tier dental treatment to our fellow members of the Irvine community. We specialize in polishing up pearly whites for the whole family and take pride in our ability to transition between the specific needs of children and adults when it comes to strengthening oral health and leveling up your smile. Our state of the art facility and advanced training in cutting edge dental techniques enables us to offer top tier dental treatments that are as pain-free as possible, all in an environment where the entire family can feel welcome, respected, and at ease. Our wide variety of services and treatments include digital x-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, fillings, crowns, pulpotomy or root canal therapy, extractions, partials, space maintainers, minor orthodontics, habit appliances, athletic mouth guards, emergency care, frenectomies, and nitrous oxide, oral and IV sedation for our more anxious patients. If you’re hoping to find an Irvine children’s dentist that will carefully watch over your child’s oral care and ensure that he or she learns good dental hygiene, you’ve certainly come to the right place! Our specialists are compassionate doctors who are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that your children receive the information, diagnosis, and treatment they need to achieve and maintain optimal oral health.