What makes teen dental care different when your kid is always on the go?

Teens aren’t small kids anymore, and they’re not quite adults either. They brush on their own (most of the time), choose their own snacks (all of the time), and spend a lot of hours doing things that involve balls, sticks, ice, bikes and other people’s elbows.

That shifts your role. You’re less the person holding the toothbrush and more the person making sure the right gear is in the bag, the right questions get asked at checkups, and everyone knows what to do if something goes wrong at practice.

In Durango, there’s no shortage of chances for a mouth to meet something hard. Santa Rita Park has soccer, basketball and volleyball facilities. Chapman Hill has skating and in-town skiing. The fields and open grass at the Durango Community Recreation Center park area connect to the Animas River Trail. All of it is great for kids. Some of it is hard on front teeth.

None of this is about adding chores. It’s about a few small habits that save you a much bigger afternoon later.

What parents commonly get wrong about teen teeth

These come up constantly, usually from parents who are doing a lot right. A small correction to any one of them goes a long way.

Which sports and activities call for a mouthguard?

A mouthguard helps cushion blows that could otherwise injure the teeth and the soft tissues of the mouth. The AAPD encourages properly fitted mouthguards for organized activities that pose a risk of oral injury.

I’m not going to give you a list of which local leagues require them; rules vary and change, and your teen’s coach is the right person to ask. A more useful question at home is simpler: could my kid take a hit to the face doing this? If the honest answer is yes, a mouthguard belongs in the bag.

Think through your teen’s week:

• Team sports with contact, balls, sticks or pucks.
• Activities with falls, like skating at Chapman Hill or a hard landing on a bike.
• Pickup games at Santa Rita Park, which are still games even without a scoreboard.
• Anything new this season that you haven’t thought about yet.

And the honest caveat: a mouthguard reduces risk. It doesn’t make anyone injury-proof, and I’d never promise that. It just shifts the odds in your kid’s favor.

Custom, boil-and-bite or stock: how do the options compare?

There are three main types of mouthguard and notes that fit and comfort differ. Here’s how they line up in plain terms:

The ADA doesn’t say store-bought guards are useless, and neither do I. A guard that’s worn every practice beats a better one that lives in the glove box. If your teen hates theirs, that’s worth a conversation at the next checkup, because comfort is what decides whether it actually gets used.

Whether we at 2nd Ave make custom sports mouthguards is a good question to ask when you call. I’d rather give you a straight answer for your teen’s situation than a general one here.

What changes when your teen wears braces?

Braces add a layer to the mouthguard question. For a teen with braces, a dentist or orthodontist should advise on mouthguard choice and fit. Brackets and wires change how a guard sits and what the soft tissues of the mouth are up against if there’s a hit.

Practically, that means:

• Ask the orthodontist which type of guard to use, and bring the guard along to an adjustment if you’re not sure it still fits.
• Mention any planned changes to the braces when you’re thinking about the season ahead.
• Don’t assume the guard from before braces still works now.

Cleaning around braces matters too. The ADA’s general advice applies: brush with fluoride toothpaste twice a day and clean between the teeth. Braces make that more fiddly, so ask your teen’s orthodontist which tools make it easier.

We at 2nd Ave are a family dental practice, and your teen’s orthodontist is the person running the braces themselves. At a family checkup, it’s completely fair to ask how your teen is doing with cleaning around the brackets, and to bring the mouthguard in so we can look at the fit together.

How do snack and sports-drink habits affect teen teeth?

This is the part where I promise not to moralize about food. Teens are hungry. Practices are long. Snacks are going to happen.

The most important thing is frequency: cut back on sugary snacks between meals, and keep up fluoride brushing twice a day plus cleaning between the teeth. A sugary drink sipped across a whole afternoon, or a run of small sweet snacks between school and practice.

If your teen drinks sports drinks, that’s worth mentioning at a checkup. Not as a confession, just as information. It helps us give advice that fits your teen’s actual week.

Sources behind this article: the American Dental Association’s MouthHealthy pages on mouthguards, braces and dental emergencies; the ADA’s clinical guidance on caries risk assessment and management; and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s policy on preventing sports-related mouth and face injuries. Local places are named from City of Durango parks and recreation listings. These sources describe general guidance; your teen’s dentist and orthodontist know their mouth.

Long tournament days and weekend trips

A full day at a tournament, or a weekend road trip somewhere in the Four Corners, is where good habits usually slip first. Everyone’s tired, the snack bag is open from morning to evening, and the toothbrush is back at home.

Cutting back on sugary snacks between meals is mostly about how often teeth are exposed, which is exactly what a long day of grazing changes. You don’t have to ban the concession stand. A few small moves help:

• Plan actual meals instead of an all-day snack drip, when the schedule allows.
• Make water the default drink in the cooler.
• Pack the travel toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, and use them at the hotel or before the drive home.
• Keep the mouthguard in its ventilated case, not loose in the bag with wet gear.
• Bring a spare mouthguard if your teen is prone to losing theirs.

And if your teen does take a hit while you’re away from Durango, the same steps apply: keep a knocked-out permanent tooth moist, don’t touch the root, and find a dentist right away. You can always call us at (970) 247-4848 to talk through what happened and what to do next.

Taking care of the mouthguard itself

A mouthguard that’s cracked, chewed or rattling around loose isn’t doing much. Mouthguards should be checked for wear and poor fit, and that growing teens may need to replace them more often than adults.

A quick routine that tends to work:

1. Keep it clean between uses.
2. Store it in a ventilated case, not loose in the bag.
3. Once in a while, take a real look: tears, holes, flattened spots, or a fit that’s gotten loose.
4. Bring it to dental checkups so we can look at it too.

If your teen chews on their mouthguard during downtime, you’re far from the only parent noticing it. A chewed guard is a good reason to check the fit sooner.

What should you do if a tooth gets hit or knocked out?

This is the part to save to your phone. If a permanent (adult) tooth gets knocked out:

Two important notes:

• This is for permanent teeth. Baby teeth are a different situation, and you shouldn’t try to put a baby tooth back. If you’re not sure which kind of tooth it is, tell us when you call.
• If there’s severe swelling, trouble breathing, or bleeding that won’t stop, call 911 or go to an emergency room first.

For a chipped, loosened or painful tooth after a hit, call us and describe what’s going on. Pain, swelling or an injury from a hard knock are all reasons to call rather than wait and see.

What to tell us on the phone after a mouth injury

When a call comes in after a hit at practice, a few details help us understand what’s going on quickly. You don’t need all of them; whatever you know is useful.

• Which tooth or teeth, and whether it’s knocked out, chipped, loose or pushed out of place.
• Whether it’s a permanent tooth or you’re not sure.
• Where the tooth is now, if it came out, and that it’s being kept moist.
• Any pain, swelling or bleeding, and whether it’s getting better or worse.
• Whether your teen wears braces.

Keep in mind the order of things: severe swelling, trouble breathing or bleeding you can’t control means 911 or an emergency room first. Everything else, call us at (970) 247-4848.

A pre-season mouth check that takes five minutes

The start of a new season is a natural time to look at the gear, the habits and the plan. None of it needs a calendar reminder app or a family meeting.

Getting your teen on board without a lecture

You can buy the best mouthguard in the world. If your teen thinks it’s uncomfortable or embarrassing, it’ll end up in the bottom of the bag.

A few approaches that tend to land better than “because I said so”:

• Let them pick the case or color, so it feels like their gear and not yours.
• Ask what bugs them about the guard. Comfort is usually the real issue, and fit and comfort are exactly what differ between mouthguard types.
• Have them ask their own question at the next checkup.
• Keep the snack conversation about timing and frequency, not about good food and bad food.

Teens are a lot more likely to follow advice they had a hand in. And if all else fails, remind them that wearing a mouthguard is a lot less annoying than spending a Saturday at the dentist instead of the game.

What should you ask at your teen’s next Durango checkup?

A checkup is a great time to get everyone on the same page, especially if your teen comes in with you. Bring the mouthguard. Bring the questions. Here are some worth asking:

• Does my teen’s mouthguard still fit well, or is it time to replace it?
• With braces, which type of guard makes sense? Should we check with the orthodontist?
• Is a custom guard worth considering for my teen, and is that something you offer?
• How is my teen doing with brushing and cleaning between the teeth?
• Are there snack or drink habits we should talk about?
• What should we do if there’s a tooth injury at practice or a game?

We at 2nd Ave care for the whole family, and keeping everyone in one office is common for Durango families. You can read more about how we approach everyday care on our page about general and family dentistry in Durango.

A small tip: let your teen ask a question or two themselves. They’re more likely to wear the guard if they had a say in it.

Frequently asked questions