Remember to Take Your Teen to the Family Dentist
As a family dentist, we can help you and your children to remain in good oral health. Teenagers are one age group that is at a high risk of developing cavities and injuring their teeth. If you have children in high school or heading off to college, we recommend that you pay particular attention to their oral health routine and bring them into our dental office at least twice a year.
Some of the challenges that teens face are circumstantial. Today, most teens do far more than go to school. By working, participating in extracurricular activities, playing sports, hanging out with friends and studying, a lot of teens eat the majority of their meals away from the home or on the go. Simultaneously, many teenagers don’t get home until late and by the time they do – they are exhausted. This makes it difficult for them to maintain a good oral hygiene routine and creates an environment perfect for eating sugary snacks and drinking a can of soda while walking out the door. This is the perfect storm of habits that can lead to cavities and gum disease.
In our family dentist office, we understand how difficult it can be to ensure that your teens are maintaining healthy habits. However, we also know that teens are incredibly conscious of how their smile appears. By cleaning their teeth twice a year, we can help their smile to sparkle and encourage them to brush and floss at home. Sometimes, the reminder of a professional can go much further than that of mom and dad.
If your teen plays sports, we also encourage you to consider getting them a mouth guard. Failing to wear one can results in an injury and even tooth loss. Games like basketball and volleyball don’t require players to wear one, but they are dangerous just the same. With flying elbows and balls rushing towards their face, tooth injuries are incredibly common and the requirement to replace or restore their teeth can cause them to miss school and experience difficulty eating and speaking when going through the process. Taking this simple, preventative step can eliminate the risk of damage.
When you schedule a dental appointment for your teen, make sure to do so every August. Toothaches and oral health problems are the second leading reason for missed school days so having their teeth examined before school starts is always a good idea. We can remove plaque and bacteria while also identifying any cavities or infections that need to be treated before the school year begins. This way they won’t miss school unnecessarily.
Understanding how busy being a parent is, we encourage you to schedule a teeth cleaning and dental exam with our family dentist office as well. Since most parents accompany their teen to the dentist, we can schedule your exam at the same time as theirs. That way you won’t have to make a second trip, and it will be easy to remember to care for your teeth as well. Many parents spend so much time focusing on the health of their children that they forget about their own. We can take care of you both and ensure that your appointments are both convenient and comfortable.
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