Note: This article contains affiliate links (hyperlinks, widgets, or through images), which means I receive compensation if you purchase a product through them. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers. Visit my disclosure page for more information.
When puberty hits, your child will undergo several physiological changes. This is also a period in which your child is able to venture out and form valuable relationships.
Self-confidence plays a big part in this phase of development as your child begins to transition into adulthood. For this, having good dental health is very important, so you will have to emphasize healthy oral care habits. This could be hard since teenagers become increasingly independent from their parents.
Still, with the right approaches, you can get your teen invested in proper dental habits so they can have healthy teeth well into adulthood.
Control Sugar Intake
When they were younger, you could control everything your children ate. But as they grow older, they often take full control of the way they eat, especially if they can drive.
This is normal as they begin to be aware of just how much more freedom they really have. However, this phase also marks a dramatic increase in the intake of sugar and carbohydrates, which can cause significant tooth decay.
That being said, it’s important that you guide your teenager towards adopting a healthier diet. You can do this by simply changing your food inventory and cutting down on sweets and sugary snacks you keep in the house.
Another way is to come up with meal plans that are rich in calcium, iron, and B vitamins, which are known to promote healthy teeth and gums.
Correcting Crowded Teeth
As your child grows into puberty, their jaw might experience crowding as new teeth begin to form. There are many things that lead to crowding. Was your child a thumb sucker? Is it in their genes?
Your teenager’s teeth should undergo correction before crowding gets worse or teeth begin to grind against each other.
My mother had to have several of her teeth extracted when she was a teenager. She had too many teeth, several of which were larger than normal. In the end, she ended up with an amazing smile and healthy teeth!
Orthodontic appliances are required in order to realign your child’s teeth. The best option is to have your teenager undergo basic braces installation. However, one issue with braces is that many teenagers hate the way they look.
Fortunately, there are other solutions such as clear aligners which are easily concealed when applied. This could be a significant investment, so be sure that you get a clear idea of how much Invisalign braces cost so you know if it’s the right treatment to use.
Healthy Teeth Means Keeping Vices Out
Puberty is when peer pressure becomes a serious issue. It’s not that you should control your child’s freedom to choose their friends, but it’s still part of your role as a parent to keep your child away from a destructive lifestyle.
In this sense, alcohol consumption, smoking, and lip piercings would have a negative effect on your child’s oral health. Along these lines, it’s best that you intervene so they can have healthy teeth for the future.
One thing you can do is to educate your child about these vices and how they affect their teeth, among other things.
Talk to your child constantly and try to determine any problems he or she may be having at school. That way, you can guide your child down the right path towards a more confident lifestyle, one with healthy teeth!
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
Building the House of Your Dreams: 6 Tips for Buying Cool House Plans
I have one teenager in the family right now and we try to teach him besides brushing is to push away the sodas and chips.
@tisonlyme143
I’m sure that’s easier said than done
A lot to look out for .. I think connecting with them like a friend would be helpful so they can lean on you. But that also depends on their personality.
Being like friends is always great for a parent child relationship
I had great teeth as a teen. I think it was because of a school program that started when I was in elementary school. They came to school every so often to spray our teeth with something and we had to swish this stuff several times a week between visits. It was a state program testing some dental ‘stuff’, lol.
I remember when I was a kid the dentist would give you a fluoride treatment you could use at home. It tasted pretty good from what I remember. Now they do some coating at the office for my kiddos.
Start them out young with brushing their teeth. Trying to control may be a hard job for them especially with teens as they tend to just grab junk food on the run. Regular check-up tooa
I always try to get them to brush their teeth but I think they feel like it’s a chore so they don’t do their best