Frequently Asked Questions

Board certification demonstrates a dentist’s exceptional expertise in a particular specialty and/or subspecialty of medical practice. A pediatric dentist completes a 2-3 year graduate program after dental school and becomes a specialist. Board Certification is a voluntary examination process administered by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Involvement in the certification process is a demonstration of the pediatric dentist’s pursuit of continued proficiency and excellence. Dr. Nick Woodward renews his board certification annually to maintain his status and stay current on pediatric dentistry trends.

Using a pacifier at an early age is common and safe for tooth development as long as it doesn’t continue past 3 years of age. After that, it will likely caused long term remodeling of the upper and lower jaws.

Thumbsucking is a natural reflex. Many children begin sucking their thumb or fingers while they are still in the womb. Like pacifier use, thumbsucking can cause problems with the proper growth of the mouth and alignment of the teeth once permanent teeth begin to come in. There are a few different techniques to help kids stop sucking As a child gets older, you can more easily reason with them as to why they need to stop and will often respond well to positive reinforcement. Younger children often need more of a “deterrent” as opposed to a reminder. We can help you figure out the best strategy for your child.

When we see yellow teeth, we usually blame it on the food and liquids that we eat and drink causing extrinsic stain or poor dental habits. However, this isn’t true of a child’s teeth. When their permanent teeth first erupt around age 6 the teeth are very new and the outer enamel layer is still in the process of calcifying. Because of this, the enamel is more translucent and naturally yellow inner dentin layer shows through. This is exacerbated by the fact that primary (baby) teeth are naturally very chalky and white, so the contrast between these “old” teeth and the “new” permanent teeth makes these teeth appear even more yellow than they truly are. As your child grows older (typically around adolescence) the enamel continues to calcify and less of the yellow dentin shows through.

As permanent teeth begin to erupt, they break down the roots of the baby teeth they are going to replace, causing these baby teeth to loosen and fall out. If the erupting tooth comes in at a strange angle or awkward position and doesn’t resorb the baby tooth root properly, the erupting tooth will find its way around the baby tooth. In most cases, this isn’t anything to be concerned about – the baby tooth will eventually fall out and the permanent tooth will drift into its correct position. However, sometimes the baby tooth is very solid and will need to be removed by the dentist.

When a child can tie their own shoes, they should be able to brush their own teeth. However, this doesn’t mean they have the ability to properly brush all five surfaces of each of the teeth in their mouth. Until they are able to reliably brush correctly, parents should help their kids.

The best way to make teeth brushing become a habit is to do it every day, regardless of how much your child protests. Make sure they know that it isn’t optional and always make it a part of the day. One of the best ways to make it habitual is to make it a part of another habit – like always after eating breakfast or always right before bed. Make it fun – play their favorite song or recite a poem that makes them laugh.

The majority of children’s permanent teeth come in a little crowded. Those permanent teeth are as wide as they are going to be forever, but your child’s jaw still has a lot of growing to do. Thus, those teeth have to find some way to fit into a small space, so they’ll come in stacked or crooked. As your child grows and his/her jaw does, too you will notice this crowding alleviate and the teeth will start to straighten. Some children need to have teeth pulled or braces/appliances put on early to help with severe crowding.