‘Teenage Kicks’ – How Youthful ‘Adventures’ Can Have A Long Term Impact On Oral Health

Being young can be great fun but can also lead to long lasting dental problems

How many of us have said, at one time or another ‘I wish I had looked after my teeth better when I was younger’? Probably many of us, we suspect. Hindsight is a great thing but unfortunately, as far as we are aware, time travel is not yet possible and we all have to live with the memory and consequences of our teenage and young adult years.

Those years can be exciting but also problematic. We are largely freed from some parental constraints and allowed to find our own way into the world. Unfortunately, this also means that we lack the experience that older people often have and are prone to repeating their mistakes.

How does this affect teeth and gums, you might ask? Well, today’s blog will take a look at just this and hopefully offer some useful advice to our younger Burton patients and also to parents who still have some influence left over their children.

Neglect

Life is busy and exciting when we are teenagers and there are always ‘better’ things to do with our time than spend it brushing and flossing our teeth. Unfortunately this often means a cursory brushing, if that, which does little more than freshen the mouth. Unfortunately this will inevitably lead to problems like tooth decay and gum disease which will require treatment by the team at SG Dental and Implant Centre to restore them.

Cigarettes and alcohol

Although a growing number of teenagers are vaping rather than smoking and eschewing alcohol more than previous generations, both are still a rite of passage for many young people. In addition to the cost involved, both smoking and drinking alcohol to excess are very harmful for oral health with both being significant contributors to both periodontitis and oral cancers.

Recreational drug usage

We might hope that our children never become involved with drugs but the fact is that a lot will. Teenage and young adult years are times when we experiment in all sorts of things and often gain from the experience. Not all experiments have happy endings though and the use of some recreational drugs can have devastating effects on young teeth which can last a lifetime. Most recreational drugs have a direct impact on teeth and gums, and, if the user becomes addicted, they will also almost certainly neglect their oral health in general.

Diet

As we become older and start to notice a few more aches and pains, we often start to pay more attention to what we eat and drink, in the hope of living a healthier and longer life. When we are young though, we often feel immortal and largely base our diet on availability and convenience. This usually means a diet that is high in sugar, with the well known consequences for our teeth that can bring. Sugary drinks are also popular with younger people and many of these are also acidic which causes tooth enamel wear which can contribute to sensitive teeth and tooth decay.

Oral piercings

These are increasingly popular with the younger generation and locations of piercings are no longer restricted to the ear or nose, but increasingly within the oral cavity. Piercings are increasingly found on the lips, cheeks and even the tongue. These are mostly made of metal which can be very damaging to the teeth and can lead to chips, cracks and even breakages in some instances.

Injury

Teenagers are often full of energy and may take part in sports including some potentially hazardous ones such as skateboarding and freerunning. The likelihood of facial trauma if you take part in these activities is relatively high and yet another challenge to the oral health of younger people.

DIY dentistry

Teenagers have never known a time when the internet wasn’t available and are used to trusting it for information. Unfortunately, not all of this information is good and there are many suggestions, for example, of ways to whiten your teeth yourself without seeing a dentist. Some of these are useless and relatively harmless, but others can cause serious damage to the teeth. Dental care should be left to the professionals and if you really want to have your teeth whitened, please talk to one of our team about it.

There are many pitfalls to being a teenager and, although they can seem great fun at the time, some activities, such as those mentioned above, can have long term consequences. You may not believe it at the moment but there will come a time when you will wish that you had paid more attention to the advice given to you by older people. Poor quality teeth can really impact your life as you become older, both practically and aesthetically. To give them the best chance of being healthy in middle age and beyond, taking care of them now is important.

It goes without saying that part of good oral care involves having them checked by a dentist every six months or so. If you live in the Burton area, why not give us a call and see how SG Dental and Implant Centre can help you to have a healthy and great looking smile. Call us today on 01283 845345.