As you age, your teeth will begin to grow into their lasting positions. As a teen, the last set of teeth you will ever have, the wisdom teeth, will grow in. With your final teeth erupting above your gum line, there are a host of other problems that come with it that can leave you stressed and anxious about your smile. However, there are plenty of choices you can make to protect your smile going forward.
Beware of peer pressure. Peer pressure can lead to a number of negative outcomes that increase the risk of damage to your smile. Frequent peer pressure situations include mouth jewelry, contact sports without wearing protective gear, smoking, chewing tobacco, and using drugs. Choosing correctly is essential when faced with all these decisions and habits that can affect your oral health and your entire well-being for the rest of your life.
Your wisdom teeth can also have issues growing in correctly. Wisdom teeth that fail to cross the surface of your gums in the correct spot are called transposition malocclusions. In some cases, they may need to be extracted. Your wisdom teeth also raise your risk for tooth decay, gum disease, and jaw pain, so it is crucial to clean and care for them as soon as they begin to appear.
To prevent or correct oral health ailments as a teen, you can schedule a visit with our dentist in Amarillo, Texas. If you would like Dr. Jon Ormson and our team at Jon Ormson DDS to bring you in for an oral exam or professional cleaning, please contact our dentist office by calling us at 806-354-8526. Teenage dentistry hazards can be overcome, so feel free to come see us today!