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.

What’s so great about having straight teeth anyway?

You might ask yourself:

Is it worth it to endure orthodontic treatment?

Yes… an emphatic yes! In exchange for the discomfort of having sore teeth during orthodontic treatment, you'll get a beautiful smile that lasts. You'll have a confident smile and a proper bite that can last a lifetime.

You might also ask:

What are the benefits of braces and Invisalign?

First and foremost, you get straight teeth. Beyond cosmetics, you achieve psychological gain. Straight teeth give you the added advantage of more self-confidence when interacting with others. When you smile more, you interact more. You attract more friends into your life and gain more satisfaction and happiness in life.

Straight teeth are less prone to decay. Well-aligned teeth hold less food impaction as well as less plaque and stain. Straight teeth are easier to brush and floss. Straight teeth, combined with good hygiene habits and frequent check-ups with your dentist, can lead to fewer periodontal pockets, less gingivitis and fewer cavities.

Functionally, straight teeth allow you to chew and eat food better. A stable occlusion distributes bite force evenly throughout the mouth. For example, if you start out with an open bite, where only the back teeth touch and your front teeth do not, you have no chewing force in your front teeth. You will not be able to bite into a piece of lettuce or a thin slice of turkey.

Straight teeth can improve speech. When you have an open bite, your front teeth will not form a proper seal. This can result in speech difficulties, such as a lisp. Straight teeth allow for a proper seal for accurate articulation and speech.

The next time someone asks you why you wear braces or Invisalign, think of all the benefits that orthodontic treatment brings, such straight teeth, a nicer smile, easier brushing and flossing, better chewing, proper speech, more self-confidence, and a better chance of keeping your teeth the rest of your life.

Then you know you are making a wise investment in yourself by obtaining orthodontic treatment. The next time you flash that beautiful smile, you'll know you have a beautiful look and a more confident self!

Dr. Nancy Phan and the entire team at Care Orthodontics work hard to give all our patients the best smile and bite possible. We offer complimentary consultations. You can visit us at www.CareOrthodontics.com for more information.

Braces versus Invisalign. Which option is best for me?

A beautiful smile goes a long way! A smile expresses attractiveness, self-confidence, friendliness to others, and your happiness. A smile is also an investment in your oral health. Having straight teeth allows you to eat and brush better, which leads to a reduction in stains, cavities and gingivitis.

When it comes time to decide whether you should use braces or Invisalign to fix your teeth, many people find the options to be daunting. Here is some information about both that will help you decide which option is the best to fit for you and your lifestyle.

How are braces and Invisalign different?

Braces are brackets and wires that are fixed to your teeth 24/7 in order to move and straighten your teeth. Invisalign are removable aligners.

With Invisalign, your teeth are scanned in 3D and a plan is made to move and correct the position of your teeth in stages. Those movements and stages are then fabricated into a series of custom-fitted trays, or aligners, that guide your teeth into the corrected positions. Because these trays are removable, you can take them off to eat, brush, floss and occasionally for important social events. Overall, you need to wear them an average of 22 hours a day for the programmed movements to take effect.

Aesthetics

Traditional braces are made of stainless steel metal. If you prefer an aesthetic option for braces, ceramic braces are made up of clear tooth-color brackets that cut down on the amount of metal shown when you smile or speak.

If you don't want any kind of brackets glued onto the teeth, then Invisalign is an ideal option. The crystal clear trays blend in with your teeth well, making the aligners almost invisible when you're wearing them. If you don't want anyone to notice your braces while going through orthodontic treatment, you definitely want Invisalign.

Eating and Drinking

There is a diet alteration requirement when wearing traditional braces. Overall, you can eat at least 95% of food. You want to stay away from a few hard and sticky foods, such as hard chips, nuts, gum and sticky candies, like taffy, Skittles and Starburst. Fruits, such as apples and pears, need to be cut up. Meat and fish need to be cut up.

Invisalign trays are removable, thus, you remove the trays to eat and drink. You also remove the trays to brush and floss. Since there are no brackets and wires attached to the teeth, there are no diet restrictions associated with hard and sticky foods.

Convenience

Another reality of braces is that, occasionally, a bracket may come loose or a wire may shift and irritate the inside of your cheek. There are tricks to get around these issues and stay comfortable until your next visit where your orthodontist can fix the problem at the office. You will learn ways to handle these discomforts if they occur once you start treatment. At Care Orthodontics, we are available in the office every day to help take care of any orthodontic emergency for our patients. If you see someone else, you may want to check your orthodontist's availability and emergency policies before the need arises.

With Invisalign, you do not have issues with loose brackets and pokey wires, since you simply don't have them. For working adults who often travel out of town, busy parents who are constantly on the go or students who are away at college and occasionally come home, Invisalign treatment can be a good option since you have more flexibility to the numbers of adjustment and office visits.

Complexity of the Orthodontic Problem

Invisalign works well for some cases but not others. For complex problems that require orthopedic devices to be used in growing kids, braces are the appliance of choice. For surgical cases in adults, braces may be a better option.

Conclusion

If you're considering braces or Invisalign in the San Jose area, schedule a complimentary consultation appointment at Care Orthodontics. Dr. Nancy Phan can advise you as to what will work best for your situation. Dr. Phan can treat most patients with braces or Invisalign. Weigh the pros and cons of your options, then decide which treatment option is best suited for your life.

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.

How to care for your smile while wearing Invisalign aligners

Wearing Invisalign aligners is exciting because you are on your way to getting straighter teeth and a beautiful smile. However, you don't want to discover decay underneath. That's why it is important to know how to care for your smile while wearing aligners.

Take your trays out to eat:

It is critical that you eat without wearing your aligners. Eating with aligners in your mouth can create more food impaction between teeth. You can wear down your trays quickly and create perforations and tray breakage if you eat with them in.

Brush your trays frequently:

The trays will cake with build-up quickly if you do not brush them daily. We recommend brushing the trays at least one or twice a day with liquid soap and water.  You can also use commercial cleaning tablets if that is your preference. Brushing the trays will keep your aligners clean, eliminate any type of stains, keep your breath smelling fresh, and prevent food and debris from getting into your teeth.

Brush your teeth routinely:

Whether or not you wear Invisalign aligners, you should brush your teeth at least twice a day or after every meal using a soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Remember your dentist's or hygienist's recommendations about holding your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle. Use circular motion to get all the plaque removed.

Do the same while you wear Invisalign aligners. Remove your trays and brush daily. If you are at work or school and it is difficult to brush right after eating, take a sip of water and swish around to get rid of most of the food and sugar around the teeth. 

Floss your teeth daily:

Have you heard of the expression, "Flossing is as equally important as brushing?" Flossing eliminates bits of food stuck in between the teeth and gums. This cuts down your risk of getting cavities and gingivitis. Trapped food gets pushed down into the gum pockets, causing swelling and bleeding of the gums. Flossing eliminates this problem. With aligners, it is easier and less time consuming to floss than compared to having braces. 

Rinse your mouth with Listerine: 

Before you go to bed and again in the morning, rinse your mouth with Listerine or an antibacterial mouthwash to clean your teeth, strengthen your enamel, and leave your breath clean, minty and fresh.

Once you develop a daily routine, caring for your smile is simple and easy. It does not take that long. By spending five minutes, two to three times daily, you will be on your way to developing great oral hygiene habits that prevent tooth decay and periodontal disease. Care for your smile now, and you will see a healthy smile at the end of your Invisalign treatment. Continue those same hygiene habits after Invisalign, and your smile can last a lifetime.

Visit us at www.CareOrthodontics.com for more information.

Now that I got braces, what gadgets are in my mouth?

After much thought and consideration, you've finally decided to get braces. You are on your way to achieving a beautiful smile that you always wanted. Your teeth will line up straighter. Your bite will come together better. You will chew food better. You will speak better.

However, first you want to know what gadgets are in your mouth. Below are some orthodontic components that Dr. Nancy Phan uses in her orthodontic practice:

Braces refer to a combination of brackets, bands and wires used in orthodontic treatment:

• Brackets are handles to move your teeth.
• Bands are rings around your molars to carry a bracket
• Wires are tracks for your teeth to slide. .
• Spacers are little rubber bands that go in between your back molars. They create spaces for insertion of bands or orthodontics devices.

Orthodontic devices refer to apparatus that are inserted in the mouth to aid in tooth movement:

• Expanders are used to widen your jaws and to create spaces. A Palatal expander can separate your palatal bone to make your upper jaw larger and fit better to the lower jaw. It creates space while the jaw is still growing to allow the permanent teeth to erupt more easily. A Quadhelix expander can be used in both upper and lower jaws to create more space.
• A Bite Plate is used to correct a deep bite. When your lower teeth come up too far and hit hard on the back of your upper teeth causing heavy pressure or swollen gums, then a bite plate is needed to correct the deep bite.
• Space Maintainers are used to anchor the back teeth and maximize your orthodontic outcome. A Trans-Palatal arch is used to anchor a molar. A Nance Holding Arch is to hold space for the permanent premolars to come in. A Lingual Holding Arch can be used to hold space or it can also be used to lift an impacted tooth.

Retainers are used after braces come off to hold the shape of the jaw and position of the teeth:

• A Hawley retainer is a removable retainer that has a wire in front of the teeth with an acrylic plate on the back of the teeth and the roof of the mouth to hold teeth in place and maintain the shape of the jaw.
• An Essix retainer or Clear retainer is a shape performance tray that holds teeth in place. It is clear and durable and helps to maintain the position of the teeth after orthodontic treatment.

Other orthodontic devices are added tools to aid the orthodontist in correction of your teeth and jaw. They are customized and recommended based on an individual's age, pubertal growth stage, maturation phase and specific orthodontic needs to correct the bite and jaw.

• A Headgear is an orthodontic appliance that aids in the correction of a long upper jaw or an excessive overjet (or often referred as "overbite").
• A Facemask is an orthodontic appliance that aids in the correction of an anterior crossbites (or often referred as "underbite"). 
• A Bite Corrector is an orthodontic appliance that aids in the alignment of the upper and lower jaws.
• TADs (Temporary Anchorage Devices) are mini-implants or fixed anchorage that assists in the efficiency of orthodontic treatment 
• Soft Tissues Laser, such as a Diode Laser, is used to correct uneven gum height, remove gummy smile, remove excess nodules in the mouth, remove thick frenum, uncover thick fibrous tissues that impact permanent teeth, and many other applications. The benefits of laser surgery are huge, such as no suture, comfortable patient's experience, minimal bleeding, minimal pain, minimize infection, and quick recovery. For example, 2% of the population has tighten frenum, an over-pulling gum tissue that cause teeth to space apart, tongue tie, or gum recession. Patient who has a laser frenectomy can go back to work or school within the next day and have very little pain or swelling.  Dr. Nancy Phan is a Certified Laser Provider for many orthodontic-related procedures.

Contact us at www.CareOrthodontics.com for more information.

7 Common Myths about Braces

When thinking about braces, people tend to have a stereotypical image about people wearing braces as well as many myths about braces themselves. Here are 7 common myths that Dr. Nancy Phan often hears in our Care Orthodontics practice.

Myth 1: Braces are just for kids. 

Although many kids wear braces, adults have braces, too. The American Association of Orthodontists conducted a survey in 2015 and found that nearly 40% of orthodontic patients are adults. Adults can still wear braces to correct teeth, bite and achieve a better smile appearance.

Myth 2: My general dentist can do braces faster and cheaper. 

With a flood of advertisement about "six month braces" or "fast braces," it may seem like your general dentist is better at doing orthodontics than an orthodontist. They market wearing braces for only six months, while your orthodontist may recommend 18 months of treatment, and you may wonder why. The devil lies in the details.

As the old adage says, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." With speedy braces, you get only a quick alignment of teeth, not the full correction of the bite. Your treatment may include just the alignment of the front teeth.

The deep bite, open bite, excessive bite and misaligned bite are not commonly addressed. Without proper bite correction or root alignment, aligned teeth can relapse quickly. Depending on if you want to get partial treatment or full treatment, you have to decide with whom to render orthodontic treatment.

Myth 3: Braces mean metal mouth.

Although traditional braces are metal braces, there are many options to having braces today. You can get ceramic braces that include clear-colored brackets. You can also get removable braces, such as Invisalign, without any type of metal in the mouth.

Myth 4: Braces are just for crooked teeth.

Braces correct more than crooked teeth! For example, you may not have crooked teeth but your front teeth may not come together. They interfere with the way you eat and talk, thus you need braces. In other cases, your teeth may be straight but you show too much gum and your bite is off to one side when biting down. Braces can correct all of these bite problems in addition to straightening the teeth.

Myth 5: Braces are too costly and I cannot afford it. 

Braces take time and resources, and just like any medical procedure, they can be expensive. At Care Orthodontics, we work out flexible payment plans along with insurance coverage, flexible spending accounts and other payment options to reduce the financial burden and make it fit within your budget.

Myth 6: Braces are too painful. 

Although braces can cause discomfort, they are not as painful as you might think. Many studies have been done to survey patients. People, statistically averaged, rate the discomfort of having braces at about two on a scale of one to ten. This discomfort happens mostly during the first three days after braces are put on. Don't let the fear of pain keep you away from attaining that attractive smile that you've always dreamt of!

Myth 7: Braces will make me lose weight.

While some people see it as a good thing, others may not want to lose any weight. Most people think that, with braces on, you have to stop eating normal food and start eating soup every day. 

Although we tell you to stay away from hard and sticky food while wearing braces, you can eat 95% of the foods you normally eat. For the hard and sticky foods, such as apples, corn on the cob and caramel, you have to find creative ways to eat them, such as cutting it into small pieces, chewing slowly or taking small bites.

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