Decay appearing suddenly in teenagers and young adults is quite common. When children are younger, parents can keep an eye on the general cleaning of teeth as well as limit the sugar and fizzy drinks intake.
It does happen quite often that as soon as teenagers or young adults are given more freedom as far as diet and general hygiene is concerned, that we find an increase in tooth decay.
Teenagers want to sleep later in the morning at the expense of the morning tooth brushing. Going to bed a lot later at night then also leads to missing out on the correct length of brushing of teeth. This will be made worse if they are undergoing orthodontic treatment or braces as cleaning is hard at the best of times. Some orthodontists will refuse to place braces or even remove them mid treatment as decayed teeth are far worse than teeth that aren’t straight.
Reduce fizzy drinks!
Another problem we find is that fizzy drinks and alco pops are more readily available with an increase in socialising at colleges and universities. These have a very high sugar content as well as the acidity coming from the fizz. This high sugar content and possible reduction in tooth brushing is the cause then of a lot more decay and even gum infections.
Another problem we find is that fizzy drinks and alco pops are more readily available with an increase in socialising at colleges and universities. These have a very high sugar content as well as the acidity coming from the fizz. This high sugar content and possible reduction in tooth brushing is the cause then of a lot more decay and even gum infections.
Drinking a lot of cola type drinks can cause a strange green/brown discolouration on the front teeth which in most cases is permanent. This is not very attractive and very upsetting for young people. So please be careful and drink these types of drinks through a straw. This will not stop decay but might just help lessen the chances of rampant decay.
A lot of young people constantly ask about having whiter teeth and from when they can bleach them. Wait until at least 18 years old. It is just not worth causing permanent sensitivity to your teeth by starting bleaching too young. And always do this under care of a dentist or professionally qualified person – and not a beauty therapist!
Please take good care of your teeth at this age! Damage done to the teeth now will be permanent and might end up costly to treat.
To arrange a free consultation and to get professional advice on protecting your teeth please contact us: