As a child grows older, their dental care needs change. One of the advantages of working with a children’s dentist in Carlsbad, such as Carlsbad Children’s Dentistry, is the fact that the dentist can help you to understand the changes that need to be made as your child grows older. These changes can help your child to form the right habits, so that they can maintain good dental health into adulthood.

Preventing Tooth Decay
It is common for adolescents to experience an increase in tooth decay, and the dental problems are usually related to several problems. First of all, adolescents often have poor diets, which may include things such as junk food and sugary drinks. Also, they have a busier social life, which might increase their demands and decrease the time they have to maintain good dental hygiene.
One of the biggest problems with adolescents is the fact that they sometimes become lazy with their dental habits, and they forget that regular brushing and flossing can have an impact on their dental health throughout the rest of their life.

Additional Hygiene Needs
One of the things that a children’s dentist in Carlsbad will talk with your adolescent about is the fact that need to take extra care when they are brushing and flossing around orthodontic devices. Many children have orthodontic devices to straighten their teeth or to create more space for additional teeth to grow in. After the orthodontic work is done, permanent retainers are sometimes used to hold the teeth in place. All of these devices make it harder for the child to clean their teeth properly.

If your adolescent has orthodontic devices in their mouth, then they need to learn how to clean around the device in order to get rid of particles and bacteria that can become trapped. These types of orthodontic tools can increase the risk of tooth decay, so specific flossing and brushing habits need to be learned so that they child understands how they can clean around the braces or retainers. A children’s dentist in Carlsbad can teach your child these important tooth cleaning habits.

Tooth Sealants
As your child matures, you might consider specific treatments to prevent cavities, such as sealants. These treatments can help to protect the tooth’s chewing surfaces and prevent cavities at the same time. These treatments are most effective soon after the permanent teeth have grown in, it usually doesn’t make sense to have these types of treatments applied to baby teeth.

Mouth Protection for Sports
If your adolescent child is involved in sports, you should talk with their dentist about a mouth guard to protect their teeth. Permanent teeth can be severely damaged during a sports game, and a mouth guard is the perfect solution to protect those teeth and prevent long-term damage.

Call our friendly staff at Carlsbad Children’s Dentistry to schedule an appointment for your adolescent, and we can help your child to understand the unique aspects of maintaining good dental health in all stages of childhood: (760) 633-1131