If you have a teenager living in your house, there is a good chance that he or she is very concerned about his or her appearance. For example, one thing that your teenaged son or daughter might be concerned about is the appearance of his or her teeth. If you would like to help your teen maintain nice, white teeth, consider these tips:
Be Careful About Whitening
For one thing, your teen might be interested in whitening his or her teeth in order to get rid of discoloration and to show off a pretty white smile. However, you should know that children and teens can sometimes experience sensitivity because of teeth whitening. Therefore, it is a good idea for you to be careful about whitening products and to talk to your teen's dentist before allowing him or her to use these products. Your dentist may also be able to help with a professional whitening that your teen can get better results from. If not, he or she might be able to recommend a teen-friendly cosmetic dentist in your area.
Teach About Enjoying a Tooth-Friendly Diet
Sometimes teens aren't really known for eating the most healthy foods. However, if you explain to your teen how his or her teeth can be affected by his or her diet, it can help. For example, consider talking to your teen about the foods and beverages that can cause staining. If your teen makes some changes to his or her diet, it can make a difference in the appearance of his or her teeth.
Encourage the Use of Straws
If your teen drinks a lot of soda, juices or other beverages that could stain his or her teeth, you may want to talk to him or her about the benefits of using straws. This can help prevent the beverages from coming into contact with the front of your teen's teeth, which can help prevent staining.
Encourage Proper At-Home Dental Care
Sometimes teens aren't the best about proper dental hygiene, but this can obviously cause discolored teeth and can cause overall dental health problems as well. Therefore, it's important to talk to your teen about brushing, flossing and otherwise taking good care of his or her teeth.
Teach Your Child About Taking Care of Teeth at School
If your teen is like many, he or she is probably at school for most of the day. If this is the case, he or she might go for a long time without brushing his or her teeth, which can lead to discoloration. Teaching your teen to rinse his or her mouth out after lunch or any other time that he or she eats or drinks something at school can be wise. Your teen can even consider packing a small travel-sized toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste for school.
Contact a cosmetic dentistry office for more information and assistance.