I felt heartbroken as I delivered the bad news to my patient: Her gums had receded to the point that I needed to remove a few of her teeth and surgically rebuild the gum tissue she had lost.
She was 16.
While irreversible gum disease is mostly an adult problem, the potential for gum disease goes into overdrive during adolescence, when hormones create a cascade of changes in the body. It is not unusual in my practice to see people who skipped dental visits in their adolescent years and now need dentures in their 30s. Oral health during puberty, particularly for young women, can have a profound effect on gum health for life. Dental hygiene for teenagers should be taught at a young age, and why we brush our teeth.