You want your teen to be happy, which means being healthy. This includes healthy teeth! From diet to pleasant breath to getting braces, it is important to encourage good oral habits that help them achieve healthy teeth and a healthy life. Let’s discuss a little more exactly what this entails.
Your teen may need braces
Orthodontics or Invisalign braces are used to align the bite of a developing teenager. If your teen is self-conscious about their smile, correcting these concerns with braces will greatly improve the way they look and feel. In the teenage years is the time to do this so they don’t go into adulthood still unhappy with their teeth.
Teenagers and sugar
Diets high in sugar and carbohydrates combined with the potential for poor oral hygiene in teens can lead to an increase in cavities. Sweetened beverages, especially soda, can damage the teeth. It’s best to not only limit soda but also reinforce good oral hygiene habits by booking regular dental office visits.
Your dentist will look for signs of an eating disorder
Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating are all too common for teens. Teens can keep these problems hidden from their parents, but a trained dental professional can recognize signs in the mouth that compromise healthy teeth and soft tissues, including teeth erosion, dry mouth, tooth decay, mouth trauma, enlarged salivary glands and sensitive teeth. Parents who take their teenagers for regular visits to their dentist are utilizing an important tool not only for a healthy mouth, but also for overall health and wellness.
Other oral health factors
Teenagers who smoke often pick it up socially and believe that they will not be a lifelong smoker. Obviously, this is often wrong. Discouraging smoking is imperative to a teenager’s health and teeth. The dental effects of smoking include stained teeth, canker sores, bad breath, altered taste buds, oral cancer, and bone and tooth loss from periodontal disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking just a half a pack of cigarettes a day can increase the chance of developing periodontal disease threefold! If you teen is smoking somehow without your knowledge, a dental professional will pick up on it.
Another concern that can compromise healthy teeth is mouth piercings. If your teen is considering getting this type of piercing, they should visit the dentist before having the procedure done. Here, they can learn about the potential risks of these procedures and how to avoid them. Ideally, discouraging mouth piercings is recommended because of the risk of infection, damage to teeth, and allergic reactions. If they do decide to get one, they can learn how to best clean the area to avoid any adverse reactions.
Teenagers face unique challenges that younger children do not. That being said, teenagers who take care of their mouth will enjoy healthy teeth as an adult. Book your teen’s Houston, TX dental appointment at Complete Dental today!