As parents of any adolescents know, the teen years can be filled with many rewarding experiences — as well as a good dose of drama!

The transition years from childhood to early adulthood bring about many rapid changes for teens while they balance more responsibility and opportunity. It’s also an ideal time to ensure they start following healthy habits on their own — including practices that optimize their dental care and oral health.

To keep young smiles as healthy and bright as possible — and set adolescents up for continued success in the future — we’ve put together a quick Teen Dental Care 101 checklist for you.

Check out these seven steps:

1. Encourage Good Oral Hygiene

We all want our teens to be A-plus students at school, but that same rigor should apply to their oral hygiene, too! To make the grade, it’s important to have them brush twice a day (in the morning and before bed) and floss at least once a day.

In our experience at SMILE! Advanced Dental Center in Summerville, SC, getting teens to brush their teeth is easy, but they often don’t follow the daily flossing recommendation — especially if they’re navigating braces or other orthodontic appliances. A water flosser might be worth considering in this case. 

3. Make Oral Care Fun

There are so many ways to make oral care engaging and fun for kids and teens, as product lines have emerged and expanded to include all types of toothbrushes, powered toothbrushes, yummy-tasting toothpastes and mouthwashes, flavored flossers, and so much more.

Involve your teen when selecting their oral care products to optimize the chances they’ll be excited to maintain regular brushing and flossing practices.

4. Prioritize Healthy Eating

It’s not just about brushing and flossing. There’s more you can do to help your teen get set up for success with their oral care.

While teens may love their so-called “junk food,” it’s called “junk” for a reason! While the occasional treat is fine, this is the time to instill and reinforce healthy eating and snacking.

Rather than buying lots of chips, sweets, candy, and other packaged snack foods, stock up on fresh fruits and crunchy veggies, nuts, and calcium-rich dairy products like cheese. These foods are loaded with vitamins and minerals that can support teeth and gum health.

And rather than sugary sodas and energy drinks that can erode tooth enamel and lead to cavities, encourage water instead. You can even make your own flavored waters by adding lemon, lime, and other fruits — or check out low-sugar hydration packets that can provide a healthier alternative to sports drinks.

5. Invest in Orthodontic Treatments

While orthodontic treatments can be suitable at any age, they are often associated with older children and teens because this is an ideal time to correct any irregularities of the teeth — including crooked, crowded, gapped, and spaced teeth — as well as bite misalignments, like overbites, underbites, open bites and crossbites.

While you may think of orthodontics as purely aesthetic, these treatments can also be very beneficial for your teen’s oral health. Correctly aligned teeth are generally at a lower risk for dental problems, such as tooth decay and gum disease, and they can also make functional activities, like chewing, eating, and speaking, easier.

Braces and other orthodontics treatments have come a long way in recent years with faster, more comfortable, and more effective solutions for your teen.

6. Get a Mouth Guard

Did you know that more than 5 million teeth are avulsed (knocked out) from sports-related injuries among children and adolescents in the United States every year?

That’s why we highly recommend mouthguards if your teens are involved in sports — especially for activities like football, martial arts, rugby, and boxing that carry more risk for a blow to the face.

While any mouthguard can help keep smiles as healthy and safe as possible, a custom-made mouthguard will be your most effective tool to protect the teeth. That’s because it’s designed to comfortably and precisely fit your teen’s mouth and prevent dental injury as well harm to the soft tissues like the tongue, lips, cheeks, and gums.

7. Schedule Biannual Dental Cleanings and Exams

A regular dental cleaning and exam is one of the most basic yet essential preventative measures that teens can take to help ensure good oral health while helping prevent cavities, gum disease, and more.

We recommend that teens (just like adults!) schedule a dental cleaning and exam for every six months. These appointments create good habits for the future and can catch minor issues before they become more problematic.

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SMILE! Advanced Dental Center provides family dentistry for every life stage, starting at age 2 and up. From pediatric dentistry and preventive treatments, including regular teeth cleanings and exams, to braces, orthodontic dentistry, mouth guards, and more, our team of dental professionals ensures our families receive the most state-of-the-art care in a comfortable friendly environment.

Call our office in Summerville, SC, at 843-873-1261 to make an appointment today!