Good dental health is essential for any individual at any given age. We use our teeth every single day and lack or poor dental hygiene can lead to major pain, to serious health complications later on as well as permanent tooth loss. This is why you need to drop by good dentists like those from https://www.alkifamilydental.com/ for regular check-ups.
Adolescents who adopt a good dental hygiene routine and take care of their mouth will enjoy healthy teeth as an adult. Parents play a key role in prevention by setting good examples, discussing how adolescents can prevent dental issues and making sure their child regularly visits a dentist. Thorough oral hygiene, appropriate diet and good habits will help your teen attain a lifetime of healthy smiles.
Read further to see how to ensure your teen has a healthy smile.
Adolescents and Dental Health
Adolescents experience unique issues that younger children do not. They often struggle with orthodontics, contact sports, and possibly diets packed with sugar and unhealthy carbohydrates. Regular visits to the dentist are crucial for checking oral health and treating any issues at an early stage. You can click on this website where you will find a dentistry service available for the whole family. A few adolescents will face other issues such as eating disorders, smoking and mouth piercings. As a result of these issues, adolescents face higher rates of tooth decay. Albeit some of these conditions are evident and parents can manage, others may be concealed from the parents and can have a significant negative impact on the oral health of teenagers.
Braces
If your child has braces, which are used to align the teeth of a developing teenager, it can make proper hygiene more difficult as the brackets, wires and elastics can get in the way. Your teenager must be correctly instructed by a dental professional in the best ways to effectively remove plaque and food debris. It is then up to the parents to remind and reinforce healthy behaviours such as effective brushing and flossing. Reducing unhealthy foods and drinks in the diet, Daily use of topical fluoride, Regular oral hygiene visits.
Sports
If your child plays any type of contact sports, it is crucial that they wear mouth guards at all times as these protect the teeth, jaw and head from impact. Mouthguards are presented in many forms, and some can be custom-made for a personalised fit. This piece of equipment must be worn at all times while playing.
Teenagers and Nutrition
If your child’s diet consists mainly of foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates they are increasingly likely to develop cavities, this can be emphasised if the teenager does not own proper dental hygiene. Parents must limit the consumption of sweets and offer healthy dietary options. Sweetened beverages, especially fizzy drinks, can harm the teeth and impede proper calcium absorption. This is why reinforcement of good oral hygiene habits are as crucial as systematic visits to the dentist.
Self-image is a concept many individuals face during their teens. If they deem themselves as not worthy of being accepted by others, due to the way they look, they can develop an eating disorder. These disorders can include anorexia, bulimia or binge eating.
While adolescents often conceal these issues from their parents with significant success, a qualified and experienced dental expert can recognize signs of these in the mouth that compromise healthy teeth and soft tissues. These professionals can identify a few of the indicative signs including teeth erosion, dry mouth, tooth decay, mouth trauma, enlarged salivary glands and sensitive teeth.
This is one of the reasons ensuring visits to the dentist take place is so crucial. Parents who take their children for regular visits to their dentist are using an important tool not only to check for a healthy mouth, but also for a healthy body.
Teenagers and Oral Health Factors
During adolescence, it is very common for individuals to experience new things, adapt in negative behaviours and act in a way to conform with their peers. On some occasions, teenagers take up smoking and this can have a significant negative impact on their teeth and oral health overall.
Parents should discourage smoking and use of other tobacco products in order to protect a teenager’s oral health and teeth. Parents should display pro-social behaviours themselves by maintaining a tobacco-free home and have open discussions with their children about the serious impacts of smoking on overall health. Dental impacts of smoking can include: stained teeth, sores, bad breath, Altered taste buds, oral cancer as well as bone and tooth loss from periodontal disease.
As mentioned above, adolescents who commonly start as part of their peer group, smoking occasionally and many believe that they will not develop a lifelong addiction. Scientific studies suggest that smoking just a half a pack of cigarettes per day can raise the chance of developing periodontal disease by three times. Chewing tobacco can also develop serious oral issues. This type of tobacco can cause tooth decay, gum recession and white patches in the mouth that can develop into oral cancer.
Another issue that adolescents may face when it comes to oral health is mouth piercings. If your child is considering getting this procedure done, they must visit a dental professional before having it done. Piercings can cause potential risks of these invasions and how to prevent them. If possible, mouth piercings should be avoidable in total due to potential risk of infection, damage to teeth and allergic reactions associated with this procedure.
Adolescence can be a challenging time, where individuals face so many issues. Taking the time to ensure a good oral health by adopting an effective daily oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist, your child should grow to have a healthy mouth through adulthood.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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