The road to a beautiful and straight smile can be long and tedious. If you are wearing braces, you have to spend much time brushing around and in-between the brackets to eliminate food accumulation. You have to maneuver in between the brackets to floss and eliminate plaque trap. Without proper or adequate cleaning, food and bacteria trapped in the mouth can lead to bad breath and many other sequelaes. Here are some ways to eliminate bad breath and tips to achieve fresher breath while going through orthodontic treatment.
- Eat a healthy diet. Food that has protein, vegetables, fibers and grains are easily digested and cut down in bad breath. Food that has high calcium content such as low-fat yogurt, cheese, milk and dairy product support good bone, and healthy teeth and do not contribute to bad breath. Food that has plenty of sugar tends to stick on teeth longer and contributes to bad breath. When carbohydrates sit on the teeth for too long, bacterial in the mouth ferment them, secrete acid to cause decay and secrete sulfur gas to cause halitosis, which is a technical term for bad breath.
- Drink less sugary products. Since anything with sugar tend to contribute more to bad breath, try to cut down on juice, carbonated soda, and sugar drinks. Not only you will cut down on bad breath, you will cut down on getting cavities.
- Brush and floss after each meal. If you brush and floss your teeth right after each meal, you dislodge the food so that they do not stick around in the mouth long enough to cause bad breath. Brushing and flossing also reduce your risks of getting tooth decay and stains.
- Use a water flosser. A water flosser will displace most plaque and bacteria that sit right above the gum and around the brackets to give you a clean mouth and cut down on bad breath
- Scrape your tongue in the morning. The tongue traps more than 50 percent of bacteria that continue 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 bacteria that excrete sulfur gas, which contribute to bad breath
- Remember to get your 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.
Dr. Nancy Phan is a Board-certified orthodontist who has treated many children and adults and served the San Jose community are for over a decade. Visit us www.CareOrthodontics.com for more education materials and office information.