It’s hard to be a teen, especially if the teeth and smile are, well…not so perfect. So, should a teen have cosmetic dental work done? Well…it really depends on the individual.
Keep in mind that the jaw and facial growth is not complete until usually late teens. So for example, if you or your child had braces at a younger age, you or they may need to have their teeth re-aligned in later years. This could be a good reason to wait.
So why do it? Waiting until becoming an adult can be hurtful for a teen’s self image. He or she may not want to wait until an adult when he or she can have a near perfect bite, and start chewing foods properly. It’s much easier for a child to deal with straighteners, than a busy adult in the working world who also would have to deal with the stigma until the teeth are fixed.
In some cases and in drastic cases, if cosmetic dentistry is performed at a younger age, and then as an adult, it will probably not nearly be as big of an ordeal for an adult (or take as long than if they never had the work done at a younger age).
Things to think about! But whichever decision is made, the good news is dental technology has come a long way. It’s an art form as well as a science, and our society is lucky to have so many options and potential cosmetic dental solutions.
