Teenage Dental Care
Just like adults, teenagers are also prone to several dental problems and require health checkups to maintain their overall oral health. As per research, dental caries is one of the most common problems that affect teenagers and early adults. Some of the factors that contribute towards the development of dental caries in pre-teens, teenagers, and early adults include their diet, emergence of wisdom teeth in their late teens leading to poor oral hygiene maintenance, and snacking throughout the day.
Other than dental caries, teenagers are also prone to developing misaligned teeth due to the irregular eruption of teeth in their oral cavities. One of the top issues that teenagers go to a dentist for is to get their crooked teeth aligned in position with the help of braces. Given the occurrence of oral hygiene issues in teenagers, it is important to regularly consult your dentist to rule out any acute and chronic oral infections. To understand more about teenage dental care, let’s first look at the dental issues faced by teenagers and what can be done to improve their oral hygiene status.
Dental Problems Faced By Teenagers
Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth aka the third molars are the last teeth to make their appearance in the oral cavity. These teeth show up during your early adulthood when most of you gain your ‘wisdom’. Most of the permanent teeth erupt in the oral cavity by the age of 13 years and the wisdom tooth erupts between the age of 17-21 years.
Sometimes, your wisdom tooth might not erupt in a straight position in the oral cavity. This is known as tooth impaction. If your tooth is impacted, then your dentist will advise you to get a radiograph for the same and get it removed. Since not everyone develops their wisdom tooth at the exact same time, it is important to visit your dentist regularly to monitor the growth of your tooth and check whether it’s growing in the right direction or not.
Signs of impaction can be - presence of cysts, pain, periapical infection, periodontal disease, tumours, and dental caries. Your dentist can also advice you to get your wisdom tooth removed if you need to get braces or any other periodontal dental procedure.
Misaligned Teeth
Another teenage dental problem that is frequently seen by dentists in their clinics is misalignment of teeth. If you feel that your teeth are not placed in a straight line or are crooked in position, then you can get braces to align your teeth in the correct position. Getting braces will not only help straighten your teeth but also improve your oral functionality by making it easier for you to masticate and speak as well.
If you’re dealing with bite issues due to any orthodontic problem, then you can be prone to getting several dental infections such as - dental caries or other gym infections. This is because it is harder to clean misaligned teeth. Braces come in various styles - invisible aligners, ceramic braces, metallic braces, etc. Depending upon the degree of bite issues you’re facing, your dentist can advise you to wear any type of removable or fixed braces.
Dental Caries
One of the most common oral diseases seen in teenagers is dental caries. Due to their dietary habits, teenagers consume a lot of sugar-filled beverages, soda, and candy. These sugar-filled substances are great food for bacteria in the oral cavity and can result in the development of dental caries and even loss of tooth.
Teenagers and early adults are also more prone to dental caries because of the emergence of the wisdom teeth in their mouth due to which they’re not able to look after their oral hygiene. It can be difficult to clean the wisdom teeth due to the presence of a flap tissue over them and because they make the surrounding gum tissue pretty sore while they are erupting. Furthermore, teenagers have a habit of snacking throughout the day which is why their teeth are exposed to higher amounts of acids leading to tooth decay.
Gum Diseases
Periodontal diseases are the ones that affect the structures that are surrounding the tooth. The most commonly infected structure surrounding the tooth is the gingiva aka the gums. Gum diseases occur due to bacterial accumulation in the tissues. When a dental caries infection continues to proceed further, it can reach the sensitive pulp and the bone thereafter, leading to painful periodontal diseases. Periodontal diseases should not be taken lightly as they can have devastating oral outcomes and can even lead to tooth loss if not treated at time.
Plaque buildup and the accumulation of bacteria in that area are the prime reasons behind these diseases. Factors that can make you more prone to gum diseases include - vitamin C deficiency, diabetes, smoking, mouth breathing, autoimmune diseases, etc. Symptoms of gum diseases include - gum recession, bad breath, loose teeth, ill-fitting dentures, etc. Therefore, you must clean your teeth regularly and consume a balanced diet to keep gum diseases and other periodontal infections at bay.
Healthy Dental Habits For Teenagers
According to dentists, the most important place where you can care for your teeth is your own home. Visiting your dentist regularly along with flossing and brushing your teeth the correct way can help keep several dental problems at bay. Most teenagers don’t want to face the dentist’s drill, so why not just take the below-mentioned precautions and prevent falling victim to oral infections.
Brush Off The Plaque
Plaque is the main culprit behind tooth cavities and several gum diseases. It is a transparent bacterial layer that coats your teeth. The best way to remove plaque from the tooth surface is to brush your teeth with a fluoridated toothpaste twice a day. You can also floss at least once per day to keep plaque at bay. Another advantage of brushing twice a day is that it helps stimulate the periodontal tissues and keep your gums healthy. Fluorine is essential to prevent cavities, so ensure that your toothpaste contains fluoride in it.
When you continue to neglect plaque buildup for a long time, it turns into calculus. Calculus is a hardened and more damaging form of plaque that must be removed immediately. To get your mouth calculus-free, you need to undergo a minor cleaning procedure at your dentist’s office. This procedure is commonly known as scaling.
Depending upon your oral hygiene status, your dentist can prescribe you an additional chlorhexidine mouthwash to prevent bacterial accumulation in your mouth. Furthermore, if you suffer from sensitivity in your teeth, then your dentist will prescribe you a special toothpaste as per your needs. Here’s the technique that you must follow to brush twice a day:
-Brush for at least two minutes and at least twice a day, every day. To start, hold your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle to your gums and gently brush the contact surface in short strokes. Each stroke must cover at least half of the tooth surface. Also, remember that it is just as important to brush your gums and try to be gentle to prevent gum recession and loose teeth.
-Use the same method stated above to brush all the surfaces of your teeth and use short strokes to tip the brush bristles into crevices of the teeth.
-After you’re done brushing the teeth surfaces, also brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth in forward and sweeping strokes.
Don’t Forget To Floss
Brushing your teeth twice a day is imperative but so is flossing. Flossing at least once a day after you’re done brushing your teeth helps remove any food particles lodged between your teeth and your braces. Depending upon the amount of spacing present between your teeth, your dentist can prescribe you different types of flosses. Here’s the technique that you must use for flossing:
-Gently insert the floss into the space present between your teeth and clean the space by using back and forth strokes. Don’t force the floss under your gum line but gently curve it around the cervical end of your tooth in a C-shape and slide it along the tooth surface.
-Repeat the above step across all your teeth and don’t forget to clean the inner surfaces of the teeth.
Dietary Requirements
The primary culprit behind tooth decay and other dental problems is a sugar-filled diet that most teenagers are guilty of consuming nowadays. The thin layer of enamel that protects your teeth from bacteria gets exposed to acidity when you continue to snack on aerated beverages and a sugar-filled diet. Cough drops and candies are even more harmful because they dissolve slowly in your mouth and can damage your teeth even more.
Therefore, it is recommended that you take at least a 2-3 hour long break between consuming foods filled with sugar and try to eat sugar along with your meal. This increases your salivary production and helps wash away harmful bacteria and sugar. Also, remember to always rinse your mouth with mouthwash or water after consuming sugar and also brush your teeth after it, if possible.
Regular Dental Visits
To maintain good oral hygiene over a long period of time, you must visit your dentist regularly (every six months). This will help protect your teeth for: the dangers of tooth decay and other gum diseases. When you first visit your dentist, he/she will first ask you certain questions related to your dental history, then conduct a thorough examination, and recommend any necessary treatments (if needed).
Along with examining your teeth and surrounding oral structures, your dentist may also examine your jaw joints to check for any joint problems. At the end of your dental visit, your dentist will recommend or refer you to specialists if needed to correct any teeth misalignment or extensive cavities.