Your teen’s diet is very important to the health of their smile. Unfortunately, teens tend to consume more sugar and unhealthy snacks. These include drinks such as sodas, energy drinks, and sports drinks, which can be loaded with sugar and caffeine. Both of these additives are acidic to teeth and can damage enamel. Snacks such as prepackaged foods or fast food can be high in sugar and carbohydrates, which can damage teeth and provide little nutrients in return. Encourage your teen to eat healthy by providing plenty of water at home and packing snacks such as apples, carrots, and nuts for outings!

2. Sub-par Brushing Habits

While brushing may have been fun as a kid, your teenager probably sees it as more of a chore. Teens are infamous for neglecting to floss or skipping brushing from time to time. If your teen is skipping brushing in the morning or evening, have a talk with them about their dental health. Visiting the dentist is a crucial time in which your dentist can properly clean your child’s teeth and help coach them on the right dental health habits!

3. Neglecting to Properly Clean Braces

If your teenager has braces, properly cleaning in-between all the brackets and wires is important. Usually, they’ll need a special flossing tool in order to get under the braces and floss their teeth correctly. Teens may neglect their braces and therefore compromise their oral health while they’re getting treatment. Support your teen’s orthodontic treatment by getting flossers, water picks, or electric toothbrushes. These can help better clean tight spaces and eliminate plaque build-up in those hard-to- reach areas!

4. Oral Piercings

Piercings are popular among teenagers. Lip, tongue, and cheek piercings are highly damaging to anyone’s smile. Teenagers often don’t think about the consequences of getting an oral piercing when it comes to their teeth and gums. Any oral piercing has the potential to cause gum recession and fractured teeth. Lip piercings often rub against the gumline and can cause gums to recede, therefore causing tooth sensitivity and permanent damage. Tongue piercings can knock against teeth, causing cracks or chips that’ll need treatment to repair.

5. Sports

If your teenager plays sports, this heightens their risk to receive a mouth injury. Teenagers can experience knocked-out teeth, chipped teeth, or fractured teeth from a sports injury. If your teen plays any kind of contact sport, encourage them to wear a mouthguard. This is especially important if they have braces!

Teenagers don’t like to listen, but do your best to give them the best advice when it comes to their oral health. Damaging their smile with improper brushing habits, a poor diet, and oral piercings can affect their smile long-term. Talk to them about the consequences and as always, get them to the dentist for that check-up!

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Brush and Floss Before Sleep – Any food particles that are left on or around your teeth and gums need to be removed. Even if you already brushed after dinner, it’s still a good idea to do it again before eight hours of inactivity. Flossing is vital as well, especially if you do not floss every time you brush. This will make sure that no food particles get to stay between your teeth overnight. It will also help to prevent tartar from building up below the gumline.

Use a Good Technique – Of course, brushing and flossing before bed will only work if you use the proper technique. Cursory oral care before bed can lead to some surfaces still having plaque in place. It takes plaque a while to harden into tartar, but eight hours is longer than you should risk. If you struggle with using a circular motion while brushing, you may want to consider an electric toothbrush with a rotating head.

Use Mouthwash – A good mouth rinse does more than just make your breath smell nice. Some mouthwashes have ingredients that are intended for the strengthening of teeth. Others may be designed to fight off various forms of bacteria that are often found in the mouth. Of course, your standard bottle of mouthwash may not have any of those benefits. If you want your mouthwash to be more than the equivalent of a liquid Tic-Tac, you may want to ask your dentist for a recommendation.

Regular Checkups Are Vital

While you don’t go to the dentist at night, this is still a vital part of your oral care routine. After all, no matter how good you are at brushing and flossing, there will still be some plaque and tarter buildup. Once tartar develops, brushing and flossing alone can’t remove it. Your nighttime routine will help to maintain your oral health between visits, but be sure to schedule your checkup and cleaning every six months or however often your dentist recommends.

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