June 24, 2006

Teens and oral health

There is evidence that reveals periodontal disease may increase during adolescence for lack of motivation in practicing oral health. Children who keep good oral health habits until the 13 years old have more chances of keeping brushing and using floss than those kids who were never taught an appropriate oral health care.

Hormonal changes related to puberty may increase in teenagers the risk of developing periodontal disease. During adolescence, the level increase of sexual hormones like progesterone y possible estrogens cause and augmentation in gums bloodstream. This may cause more gum sensibility and a reaction much stronger to any simple irritation, and even small rests of food and tartar.

During this phase, gums may get irritated, red and feel pain. As long as youngsters are passing to adolescence, the gum inflammation starts decreasing. In spite of this it is still very important to follow a good oral health regime during puberty that includes daily brushing and the use of dental floss. In some cases, a dental specialist might recommend a periodontal therapy to help preventing harm to the tooth’s surrounding tissues and bone.
Advice for parents

Early diagnose is important to get a successful treatment for periodontal diseases. For this, it is important kids receive a periodontal exam as a part of their visit to the dentist. You must consider a general medical evaluation for teenagers with a severe periodontitis, especially if it seems to be resistant to therapy.

Many medications may get the mouth dry or create other oral health menaces. Make sure to tell your oral health professional about any other medicine you child is taking.

Observe very well if your son or daughter grind his/her teeth. Teeth grinding may increase the periodontal disease risk besides causing teeth getting fractured and splintered. Dentists can make custom mouth trays to avoid grinding at night.

Investigators suggest periodontal disease might be contagious through saliva. This means, that the common contact with saliva among relatives and couples may expose kids and teenagers to come down with this disease from a close person. So, if someone in the family or if your children have a mate they all should go to a specialist to receive a periodontal evaluation.

The most preventive measure against periodontal disease is definitely establishing good health care habits in your kids at a very early age. There are three basic preventive measures to help your children keep a good oral health:

- Once your child is 12 months old begin establishing seriously the first oral health habits. You may at that age starting using toothpaste for brushing. But, use only a little bit of it and push it inside the toothbrush hair for avoiding you kid swallowing it up. And when the spaces between the teeth start closing, it is time to use the floss then.

- Be a role model: practice good health care habits. Make your family regularly visit the dentist for check-ups, periodontal evaluations and cleanings.

- Examine your child’s mouth to see if there are any signs of periodontal disease like gum bleeding, gums getting red and swollen, gum receding and bad breathe.

If your child has now bad oral health habit, make the endeavor of leading him or her to change them ASAP. It is much easier to change habits in kids and teens than in grown-ups. If your child models his or her behavior following yours, it is logic you should serve as a positive oral health role model for him or her. A healthy smile, fresh breathe and strong teeth contribute to the appearance of the teenager, as well as his or her self-confidence and self-esteem.

0 Comments:

Share this post