Menu

Dental Work and Holidays: A Guide for Travellers


About Me

Dental Work and Holidays: A Guide for Travellers

Just because you go on holiday, doesn't mean that the bacteria on your mouth does. Hi! My name is Mandi, and as a lover of travelling, I have taken a lot of trips. Unfortunately, I have also had the misfortune to suffer from dental issues on those trips. This blog focuses on everything related to travelling and dental work. I plan to have posts on picking the right travel insurance for your teeth, dealing with a broken tooth when abroad, dental tourism and more. I hope that you find the information that you need and that your next holiday goes well. Now, let's smile together from wherever we are in the world! Happy travels!

Perfection Obsession: How Far Is Too Far When It Comes To Your Teeth?

There is nothing wrong with wanting to look fantastic, and seeking cosmetic dentistry services certainly helps to present an amazing smile. But, how far is too far when it comes to making dental changes? You have a teenager who is obsessing over their looks, which is quite natural at this age. So, what should you agree or not agree with when they ask for dental changes to be made? This list will help you decide when to draw the line to cosmetic dental correction.

Whitening teeth

There is certainly nothing wrong with whitening teeth at any age. After all, stains build up, and whitening is the best way to get teeth gleaming again. However, only allow your teen to have their teeth whitened after all the baby teeth are gone and replaced by their adult counterparts. If they don't wait, your child will end up with different coloured teeth. Whitening teeth is best done by a cosmetic dentist as they have the strongest whitening agent available. Also, it is safer to make sure the dentist professionally fits the mouth tray which holds the whitener so the chemicals don't inadvertently burn your teen's gums.

Teeth whitening should be limited to once a year. When this process is done too often, teeth become oversensitive.

Dental implants

Dental implants are the perfect way to eradicate the hole caused by a missing tooth knocked out during sports. However, teens can only receive dental implants if the jawbone has finished growing because the implant peg is attached to this bone. If the jaw is still growing, the bone shift makes an implant unstable.

If an implant is not a valid option at this time of their life, talk to the dentist about a bridge as an option. A bridge is a tooth on a plate which is removable. This temporary option fills the gap until a permanent implant is viable.

Tooth removal

You must only agree to teens having teeth removed if it is impacting their health, such as wisdom teeth. When teeth are removed for other reasons, such as your teen not liking the way a particular tooth looks, they face the possibility of dental issues later in life.

When teeth are removed, the teeth beside them no longer have a wall holding them exactly in place. This means tooth movement which leads to irregular gaps and crooked teeth. Only agree to tooth removal if there is no other option. Pointed and other irregular shaped teeth can be capped or have veneers placed on top to have them look more uniform.

It is hard not to stress when your child is upset with the way they look, but you and their dentist can help them achieve the perfect smile without resorting to extreme measures.