How to avoid bad breath while wearing braces or Invisalign

The road to a beautiful and straight smile is through braces or Invisalign. Orthodontic treatment is an investment in your smile and your life, but it takes time and commitment to clean your teeth and appliances. You need to do it correctly so that you don't accumulate food and bacteria that can lead to bad breath.

Here are ways to eliminate bad breath so you can smile and talk with confidence while going through orthodontic treatment. Some of the tips listed below can apply for both braces and Invisalign wearers. Use them as you see fit.

Fresh breath tips for the braces wearer:

1. Eat a healthy diet. Protein-rich foods, vegetables, fibers and grains are easily digested, minimizing the potential for bad breath. Foods that have high calcium content such as low-fat yogurt, cheese, milk and other dairy products support strong bones and healthy teeth, and do not contribute to bad breath. Sugary foods tend to stick on teeth longer and contribute to bad breath. When carbohydrates sit on the teeth for too long, bacteria in the mouth start to ferment, secreting acid and causing decay, which in turn causes the secretion of sulfur gas and leads to halitosis, the technical term for bad breath. 
2. Drink less sugary products. Since anything with sugar tends to contribute to bad breath, try to cut down on juice, carbonated soda, and other sugary drinks. Not only you will cut down on bad breath, you will cut down on getting cavities.  
3. Brush and floss after each meal. If you brush and floss your teeth right after each meal, you dislodge any remaining bits of food so that they do not stick around in the mouth long enough to cause bad breath. Brushing and flossing also reduce your risk of getting tooth decay and stains.  
4. Use a water flosser. A water flosser will displace most plaque and bacteria that sit right above the gum and around the brackets to keep your mouth clean and cut down on bad breath.
5. Scrape your tongue in the morning. The tongue traps more than 50 percent of bacteria that contribute to bad breath. In the morning, use a tongue scraper to clean and scrape your tongue for one minute. You will get rid of most of the bacteria that excrete sulfur gas and contribute to bad breath.

Fresh breath tips for the Invisalign wearer.

1. Brush your Invisalign trays 2-3 times daily. Food particles and build-ups around the trays contribute to bad breath so brush them well and keep the trays clean. 
2. Maintain good oral hygiene. Brush and floss your teeth daily to keep your teeth clean and fresh.  
3. Remove trays while you are eating. Eating with the trays in the mouth contribute to more food impaction, more risk of tooth decay, and more bad breath. Always take the trays out while you eat, whether you are at home or in public.  
4. Keep your mouth hydrated. A dry mouth will lead to bad breath. By sipping plenty of water, you will keep your mouth hydrated. If you are out and about and cannot brush your teeth after a meal, then take a sip of water and swish around to clean out lodged food. If water is not available, licking your teeth for about 20 to 30 seconds and bath your teeth in saliva so that saliva can wash out food and bacteria to cut down on bad breath.  
5. Rinse your mouth with Listerine to get rid of more bacteria and leave your breath minty fresh.  

Whether you wear braces or Invisalign, don't forget to get regular cleanings and cavity check-ups at your general dentist. Cavities and gum diseases are the primary reasons that contribute to having bad breath. When you see your family dentist, you get regular detection to prevent these oral diseases, and minimize bad breath.

Together you, your general dentist and the Care Orthodontics team will monitor your teeth. Take care of your teeth and smile and you will maintain fresh breath during your orthodontic treatment. For more information, visit our website at www.CareOrthodontics.com.

8 Steps to reduce tooth decay while wearing braces

Making a commitment to get braces is an important step toward getting an attractive smile. Taking care of your smile is a lifetime commitment and the decision to get braces is an investment in yourself.

Dr. Phan applauds you and wants to make sure you also protect your teeth so that, when the braces come off, you do not have cavities or stains. The steps below will help to prevent tooth decay so that you can preserve those pearly-white, healthy teeth during your orthodontic treatment.

1. Brush after each meal.

Whether you wear braces or not, food tends to adhere to the teeth. With braces on, it can be a bit hard to brush and you tend to collect more food since there are more surfaces for food to bind to. Brushing may seem like a lot of work, but if you dedicate yourself to brushing after each meal, you will get used to the routine quickly.

Brush around the teeth and the brackets. Pay attention around the gum level as plaque tends to collect there. Use an inter-dental brush to get in between the brackets and rub around the brackets near the gum line. An inter-dental brush looks like a Christmas tree and has a small tip to get in hard-to-reach places better than a regular toothbrush.

2. Floss daily.

Use floss thread to get below the wire and remove bits and pieces of food that get stuck in between the teeth and around the gums. Flossing reduces the risk of cavities in between the teeth as well as swelling and bleeding gums caused by food embedded in the gum pockets for days at a time.

3. Use a water flosser.

The popular brand, Waterpik, uses a pressurized pulsating water stream to clean around the braces and leave your teeth free of plaque and bacteria.

4. Use a fluoride mouthwash before bedtime.

Fluoride rinse helps to stop the acid attacks, strengthen your weak enamel and rebuild the enamel rods. It cuts down on decay and cavities.

5. Minimize snacks.

Each time you eat, your teeth are overwhelmed by acid from the degradation of sugars. Prolonged exposure to acid can lead to a high risk of tooth decay.

6. Avoid sugar and carbonated drinks.

Sugar in soda combines with bacteria in your mouth to form acid that attaches to the teeth. Drinking too many sugary drinks, such as carbonated soda, sport drinks and other sweet liquids, will lead to ongoing acid attacks and weaken tooth enamel.

7. Drink plenty of water.

Water washes away bacteria and sugar and will help to slow down or minimize tooth damage.

8. See your dentist two to four times a year while in braces.

A professional cleaning will help to keep your teeth, gums and periodontal structure healthy and free from oral bacterial diseases.

Give our office a call if you wish to schedule a complimentary consultation. For more information, please visit our website, www.CareOrthodontics.com.