Blog Summary: Navigating the teen years comes with a lot of changes—especially when it comes to your smile. From braces to wisdom teeth, this guide shares essential oral health tips to help teens (and parents of teens) feel informed, confident, and prepared.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- When teens should get braces—and how to plan around school photos and prom
- What to pack in your backpack to keep your breath fresh and help with oral hygiene
- How to choose the right rubber band colors for braces (hint: go seasonal!)
- Which sports require mouthguards and why they’re a must with braces
- The early signs of wisdom teeth coming in—and when removal might be needed
Being a teen comes with a lot of changes. Between selfies to sports, school photos to braces, there’s a lot to navigate. This is also true when it comes to dental health.
From deciding when to get braces and how to rock braces at prom to figuring out the signs of wisdom teeth coming in, there’s a lot of oral care info you need to know as a teen or parent of a teen.
With that said, let’s dive into our list of top teen oral health tips now!
Braces, Hygiene, & Tips for Living Your Best Life
Whether you’re a teen wondering how to navigate senior pictures with braces or what to keep in your backpack to keep your smile looking fresh, or a parent of a teen wondering whether it’s time to have their wisdom teeth extracted, we hope this section offers key insights and tips that prove helpful.
When to Get Braces
The ideal age to get braces is between 9 and 14, falling squarely into the teenage years. The exact age at which you or your teen should get braces depends on various factors. That said, many kids who’d benefit from braces and don’t get them by middle school wind up getting them as a pre-teen or teen in early high school.
Truthfully, while every adolescent is unique, often, the earlier you get braces, the better! The only way to know for sure if braces are required is to have a consultation with an orthodontist.
Braces Survival Tips for School & Socializing
Getting ready for senior pictures or wondering how in the world you’ll take care of your braces when not at home? Curious about whether you really can rock braces at prom confidently? These tips are for you.
What to Keep in Your Backpack
Whether wearing braces or not, daily oral care is an absolutely essential part of everyday life as a teen.
Here’s what to bring with you on the go so you can take care of your teeth and gums the right way, whether at practice, school, or a friend’s house.
- Travel toothbrush or braces toothbrush + fluoride toothpaste
- Ortho floss
- Orthodontic wax (for wire pokes!)
- Xylitol gum (for those not wearing braces) or sugar-free mints (for those who are)
- Mini mouthwash
- Mirror & lip balm
The Fun Side of Braces: What Colors Should You Get?
One of the best things about having braces for teens is getting to pick different color rubber bands at each meeting.
From orange and black and purple and green for Halloween to red and green for Christmas or blue and white for Hannukkah, your options to show off your seasonal spirit or personal style are endless.
Is prom coming up? A great way to embrace braces during this time is to coordinate your colors with your prom outfit. This tip also works with school pictures! The key to wearing braces around friends – especially when at special occasions like prom – is to lean in and wear them with confidence.
Play Hard, Smile Safely: Sports & Mouthguards as a Teen
From shredding on a halfpipe to scoring goals on the field, to playing clarinet in the school band, there are various situations when teens should protect their teeth and braces with a mouthguard.
If you or your teen plays a contact sport like football, basketball, soccer, or even a sport like skating or martial arts, a mouthguard is a must. Not only do mouthguards offer much-needed protection for teens, they also may help save parents money, given that the cost of a knocked-out tooth is usually around $1,100…ouch! Even in non-dental emergencies, they act as a physical barrier to braces, helping them stay intact and preventing situations like broken brackets.
For more info on which sports require mouthguards, check out our blog post “Mouth Guards for Kids: Which Sports Require Extra Protection?”.
If you or your teen is a musician, especially one who plays a brass or woodwind instrument, then mouthguards are equally important to help protect the lips, cheeks, and mouth from repeated contact with the braces, brackets, and wires.
What to Know About Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth, also commonly referred to as “third molars”, show up most often in teens and young adults ages 17-25. But signs of wisdom teeth crowning might appear sooner.
Did You Know: Some teens won’t ever need their wisdom teeth removed. The reason that most teens do is that they often get impacted, which can lead to serious issues like crowding, cysts, and infections.
Signs that your teen’s wisdom teeth may be getting impacted and require removal include:
- Pain that’s getting worse instead of better
- Red, swollen gums at the back of the mouth
- Noticeably worsening breath or a sudden change in breath odor
- Pain or discomfort while chewing, yawning, or talking
For more information, read our comprehensive blog post on this topic entitled “Signs of Wisdom Teeth Coming In & When to See a Dentist”.
Need More Help? Schedule an Appointment With The Super Dentists!
From braces to wisdom teeth, The Super Dentists is here for every stage of your teen smile journey, ranging from the eruption of baby teeth to dealing with impacted wisdom teeth and orthodontic treatment.
Regardless of whether you or your teen is wondering whether wisdom teeth are cause for concern, braces are warranted, or ordering a mouthguard is in order, the best way to be sure is to schedule an appointment with a pediatric and family dentist like The Super Dentists.
Ready to get the care you or your teen needs? Find a location near you and schedule your visit today.
