The Secret to Fresh Breath with Braces
Getting orthodontic treatment with braces is the first step towards a beautiful, healthy new smile – but for many patients, the process of treatment brings some minor difficulties to adapt to. For some people, that includes bad breath turning into a more common occurrence. At Accorde Orthodontists, we’re proud to provide high-quality orthodontic treatment to patients all over Champlin, Rogers, & Maple Grove, MN, and there are a number of recommendations we make to our patients to help them keep their breath fresh during treatment with braces.
Start with Diet
The reason bad breath is more common with braces is that the hardware of braces makes it easier for tiny particles of food to get trapped underneath the brackets and wires. These foods are broken down by bacteria, and a by-product of that process is an unpleasant smell: halitosis, or bad breath. Monitoring the foods you eat can go a long way towards preventing this from happening. In general, avoid any food that’s greasy, pungent (like garlic), packed with sugar, or chocked full of carbohydrates. Fruits and vegetables are the best foods for preventing bad breath during braces.
Brush & Floss After Every Meal
While wearing braces, you should brush your teeth after every meal purely for the sake of oral health, but if you’re experiencing bad breath, that recommendation goes double. Brushing removes the food particles that cause bad breath – and if you really want to avoid bad breath, floss your teeth after meals to eliminate all the bad breath-causing food particles.
Drink More Water
Even if you can’t brush your teeth and are forced to eat nothing but pizza all day, you can still help calm bad breath by drinking water. Water cleans the mouth out and helps to rinse food particles and bacteria from the teeth, so drinking water consistently throughout the day helps your breath stay fresh during orthodontic treatment.
Schedule an Appointment with Your Maple Grove, MN Orthodontist
We hope you find these tips helpful for maintaining fresh, clean breath, and the following will help make the orthodontic treatment process a little more convenient. At Accorde Orthodontists, we’re proud to help patients achieve beautiful new smiles through orthodontic treatment – and we’re always thrilled to speak with patients. Feel free to schedule an appointment with us at one of our three offices, or if you have more questions about maintaining fresh breath with braces or the orthodontic treatment process in general, give us a call at 763-425-9888. We look forward to hearing from you, and we wish you luck on keeping your breath clean, pleasant, and fresh!