Teenage Dentistry (Ages 13-19)
The teenage years bring a lot of development and growth mentally, emotionally, and physically. As much as they probably don’t like it, teenagers need just as much or even more attention when it comes to oral hygiene. Certain steps should be taken to ensure the best oral health for your teenager and that they learn lasting habits to keep their teeth healthy.
For most teens, this stage of life is when they’ll wear braces, have their wisdom teeth removed, and of course still continue with regular cleanings and exams to make sure their teeth are developing well.
Take a moment to browse through the following topics to see what we can offer you and your teenager.
Caring For Your Teen’s Teeth
Teenagers face many challenges when it comes to their oral health. Teens may experiment with drugs, alcohol, and smoking at parties. They may get an oral piercing, such as in their lip, cheek, or tongue. They may lean towards poor nutritional choices, like sodas and energy drinks instead of water. More seriously, they may develop eating disorders, which obviously affect their health as a whole, but can also result in the erosion of tooth enamel.
Teenagers may also suffer from bruxism as a result of academic stress or stress in their personal lives. They may be insecure about crooked teeth and wish to straighten them. They may also be insecure about the color of their teeth and wish to have them whitened. There are many other oral health issues that teenagers may suffer from.
In order to ensure that your teenager is taking care of their teeth properly, you will want to emphasize proper oral hygiene and ensure that they are going to their professional dental cleanings as needed. If they need to have any procedures done, such as cavities filled, this should be done in a timely manner.
Your teenager may hear a lot of different things at school or online. When it comes to oral health, it’s best to check anything they may have heard from the internet with their dentist. For example, some people say that fluoride is bad for you and that you should opt for fluoride-free toothpastes and mouthwashes. However, fluoride helps to keep the teeth strong and to prevent decay. It’s important to ensure that you and your teenager are following dentist recommendations in order to achieve the best possible oral health.
The 411 On Wisdom Teeth
It’s typical for wisdom teeth to come in during one’s teenage years. While humans may have needed them at one point in time, now, most people need to have them removed. This is because most people simply do not have enough room in their mouths for their wisdom teeth. As such, not having your wisdom teeth removed can result in problems down the line.
We’ll take x-rays in order to determine the placement and trajectory of wisdom teeth in order to know whether or not they should be removed. If they do, wisdom teeth removal is a common procedure oral surgeons conduct that only takes 1 or 2 weeks to heal completely.
Accidents And Emergency Care
Sports get a lot more competitive the older that children get. The stakes get higher, hits harder, plays faster. This can result in accidents or emergencies that necessitate dental care, such as getting a tooth knocked out during a football game.
Beyond sports, puberty strikes, and teenagers may end up in fights or other situations that result in them needing emergency dental care.
We here at Central Davis Dental are here to help your teenager with whatever accidents or emergencies happen that impact their teeth. In addition to our emergency dentistry services, we also provide mouthguards, which can protect your teenager’s teeth during sports, from sleep apnea, and from clenching or grinding their teeth at night, either from stress or another reason.
Common Procedures For Teenagers
We see teenagers here at Central Davis Dental all the time. Some of the most common teenage dentistry procedures that we do include:
- Simpli 5 – straighter teeth in half the time than normal braces
- Cleanings
- Fluoride treatment
- Fillings
- Athletic guards and night guards
- Root canal therapy
- Crowns
- Other procedures
Have questions or want to schedule an appointment? Click here to get in touch with our staff and we’ll help answer any questions and work to fit appointments into your schedule.