2 Ways To Help Protect Your Teen's Oral Health

There are many challenges that raising a teenager can pose for you as a parent. One of these is the youngster's proper dental hygiene. Often, proper dental care can take a backseat. Additionally, since the diet of a teen may be filled with unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, dental issues can quickly arise to sabotage the health of your teen's teeth and gums. Here are a few measures you can take to help your protect your teenager's oral health:

Offer your teen sugarless gum.

If you are concerned that your teen is not brushing properly, be sure to give him or her a pack of sugarless gum as the youngster leaves the house. Ask the teen to chew after each meal or snack. Even if the teen does not fully comply with your request, chewing gum periodically throughout the day still offers multiple benefits, and the gum does not present the oral health challenges of candy and other simple carbohydrates that can serve as a primary food source for oral bacteria.

As your teen chews gum, particles of food that may be stuck to his or teeth or along the gum line can be pulled from the teeth by gum's sticky consistency. Additionally, the salivary glands release more saliva into the mouth. Since saliva has a higher pH than bacterial acid, it can help dilute and neutralize the corrosive substance before it decays your teen's teeth.

Also, the gum can help lower the number of oral bacteria in the young person's mouth. Some gum includes antibacterial ingredients, such as xylitol and cinnamon.

Have your teen keep a bottle of water handy throughout the day.

Pack a bottle of water in your teen's bag or purse, and encourage the teen to rinse after eating. The water can rinse away particles of food that may be left in the mouth after a meal or snack. Additionally, it can dilute bacterial acid in a manner similar to saliva. Also, if the water is fluoridated, it can help your teen's teeth incur less damage when exposed to oral acids.

Fluoride forms a coating on the teeth and attracts displaced minerals, such as calcium and phosphorous, back to the enamel surface. The fluoride binds to the calcium and phosphorous to form a new tooth material that resists acid more successfully than the original tooth material.

To learn more ways to help your teenager protect his or her teeth, schedule a consultation with a family dentist like Jeffrey S. Thaller DMD in your area.