Oral Care Considerations For Teens

Teenage is the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. During this period, teenagers generally worry about third molars, facial appearance, braces, and bad breath. School activities, sports, and a lot of junk foods result in compromised dental care, which usually leads to tooth decay, cavities, and other dental problems.

The best way for teens to have a healthy smile is to stick to the best oral hygiene habits developed during childhood. Here are a few tips to help you instill ideal oral hygiene habits.

• Encourage your kid to take good care of their teeth. It would mean brushing teeth at least twice a day and flossing daily. Teenagers are more concerned about how they look. You can make your kids understand that bad oral habits can result in bad breath, stained teeth, and cavities, all of which contribute to bad looks.
• You are going to have to be a role model. If you want your kids to take care of their teeth for the rest of their lives, you will need to practice good oral hygiene in front of them.
• Make sure that you never run short on dental care supplies. Soft toothbrushes, dental floss, fluoride toothpaste, and mouthwash should always be there on the washroom shelf. Keep these supplies in your children's easy access.
• Encourage your kids to eat healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, instead of junk foods.
• Discuss with your kids the impact of smoking and other non-healthy activities on oral and overall health. Kids usually start smoking or get oral piercing under social pressure. Empowering them with the knowledge of good and bad can help them stick to good habits only.

Many teens have to get braces or have their wisdom teeth removed. Some undergo these procedures due to dental problems caused by impacted or misaligned teeth, while some do the same to prevent any problems in the future.

Here is what you may want to discuss with your teeth.

• The purpose of braces is not just a straight smile. With your teeth straightened, you can ensure their hygiene in a much better way. The alignment of teeth alleviates the risk of tooth chipping.
• The most common reason you may have to get your wisdom teeth or third molars removed is the lack of room, which generally results in impaction and other resultant issues.
• Bad breath is a product of harmful bacteria that reside on the tongue. A simple change in oral care habits can freshen up the breath. Good oral hygiene includes brushing your tongue when you brush your teeth.
• It is good to rely on a good oral hygiene routine to whiten the teeth. It might mean using a whitening toothpaste, mouthwashes, and specialized toothbrushes. If you must get your teeth whitened, get it done professionally.
• The use of tobacco products can lead to certain types of cancers, bad breath, gum disease, teeth staining, and various other oral and overall health issues.
• Oral piercing serves no good because it can have adverse effects on lips, tongue, and cheeks. These pieces of metal can cause several other oral health problems.

If you want your kid to have a nice and healthy smile, you must discuss these factors with him in a friendly environment. The best way is to be a counselor to your child.

The Morning Drink That is Hurting Your Teeth

One of my favorite things to do is wake up happy.  The issue is that it is really hard to do in reality and most of us in the United States end up working out different ways to boost our morning energy.  So how do most mornings start for the average American adult? It is safe to say that most adults start the day off with a cup or five of their favorite type of coffee.  Most coffee shops are still thriving due to the massive amount of coffee that is consumed on a daily basis.  Even with the pandemic, this is the one thing that most people cannot give up.  Many people are drinking 3 or more cups of coffee every single day.  With all the coffee being consumed lots of people are concerned with what this drink is actually doing to their health.  Specifically, teeth are a big issue when it comes to coffee and health there are some things we need to talk about.

Now Coffee is definitely not all bad and it has been shown that coffee can actually have some health benefits.  Generally, it gets the stigma being the major reason that staining teeth happens and causing nothing but issues in the long run.  Coffee has been shown in studies to actually fight tooth decay.  That is really surprising and it even shocks me. Coffee through studies actually fights tooth decay.  This is a great positive note because at the end that can allow you to keep your teeth longer and not have nearly as many needed dentist visits.  This is something that I would bring up with your dentist and see what works well for you.

But we all know that on the flip side of the spectrum coffee is actually acidic and can really eat away at your teeth if you let it.  The acid in a way kills the bacteria that is in your mouth which does help fight tooth decay, but the extra acid can also damage your dental health as well.  It has been noted that eating while having coffee, especially food that has extra fiber in it is a way to mitigate the negative effects.  So if you have coffee in the morning try to drink it when you are eating breakfast.  Or like many Americans, breakfast is no longer a part of their diet, so if you have it later in the day or mid-morning try to have a small snack with it. There are simply some things you should look out for.

There is one other thing you should think about when drinking coffee and that is that it can really stain your teeth.  Many people notice that their teeth turn yellow the more they drink coffee.  This is because the dark pigments in coffee actually attach to the enamel in your teeth and do turn it yellow over time. Not even adding cream to your coffee will help with the yellowing effect either.  Just because the coffee looks brighter does not mean the pigments are still not in the coffee. So don’t fall for the old wives' tale about cream whitening or mitigating the yellowing of coffee staining. It is smart to drink some water after drinking coffee though. Rinsing your mouth will help eliminate the dark pigments so keep on rinsing.