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Bad Breath-Good Advice

If you've ever suffered from bad breath, you know how problematic it can be. There really are few things worse than dealing with bad breath. Not only is this unpleasant to have a bad taste in your mouth, it can make talking to other people and having a normal conversation difficult. Whether the cause is from your diet or morning breath, there are ways to get rid of bad breath and keep your mouth feeling fresh.

What Causes Bad Breath? 

Bad breath doesn't have one main reason, but can be caused by several lifestyle factors. One of the most common causes is eating foods that cause bad breath such as onions or garlic. While these foods are great for your health, they have a strong odor and eating even a small amount can cause bad breath for the rest of the day. 

Another common cause of bad breath is not eating enough. Although we usually think of food as causing bad breath, you can produce it yourself as well. When you have gone for a few hours without eating anything, your mouth will start to produce more saliva, which can have a naturally bad smell. 

How to Prevent Bad Breath

The good news is, preventing bad breath is pretty easy. By using these tips and suggestions throughout the day, you can help to keep your breath as fresh as possible.  

Eat every four hours: You don't have to eat a huge meal, but even a small snack can be a great way to prevent bad breath. Your breath will get worse the longer you go without eating. Eating more frequently encourages the production of fresh saliva, improving your breath naturally. 

Use mouthwash or mouth spray sparingly: Mouthwash is one of the best inventions for bad breath, but you can actually overdo it. Many brands of mouthwash have alcohol which actually dries out your mouth and can make your breath worse. If you use mouthwash, do so sparingly. 

Drink water constantly: Water is a great cure-all for a variety of conditions, especially for bad breath. Water keeps your mouth from drying out and helps to keep you hydrated as well. Carry a water bottle with you throughout the day and drink periodically to help freshen your breath.

Wash your mouth with water: Mouthwash is a great idea, but washing your mouth out with water works well also. If you rinse your mouth with water after meals, you'll get rid of excess food particles and bacteria which can contribute to bad breath.

Brush your tongue in the morning: In the morning your mouth is generally the dirtiest, especially your tongue. While you probably brush your teeth in the morning, you may be missing your tongue entirely. Brush it gently to remove the bacteria-covered film that builds up overnight.

These tips can help to improve the health of your mouth and significantly decrease any bad breath issues. If you put these suggestions to use every day, you'll soon start to notice fresher breath and chances are your friends and colleagues will also. 

Overbite Correction Using a Functional Appliance

In a growing patient with a significant overbite caused by a short lower jaw, a functional appliance can be used.  The appliance holds the lower jaw forward for 10-12 months until the teeth and jaws have adapted to the new, correct position.  Braces are worn in conjunction with the functional appliance and continue to be worn after the appliance is removed to finalize bite correction and tooth alignment.  This patient was treated for a total of  2 years and 5 months.

 

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Profile photographs below show improved facial balance resulting from functional appliance treatment and braces.  The Lower jaw is moved forward to correct the bite. 

 

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In the intra-oral photographs below, you can see that before treatment, the lower jaw is back.  The upper front teeth are flared forward and there is a space between the top teeth.  After treatment, the lower jaw has come forward and upper teeth angulations and spacing is corrected

 

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The X-rays show the relative position of the jaws and teeth before and after treatment.

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Cases such as this demonstrate why it is so critical to have children evaluated by an orthodontist at a fairly early age.  If this patient were not treated in her youth while she was still growing, this type of result could not be achieved.  Adults with this type of malocclusion require jaw surgery to reset the bones in order achieve similar results.  

 

 

 

How To Take Care of Braces

There are a number of reasons why someone might need braces on their teeth, despite the stigma that once came with having them. From crooked, gapped or crowded teeth, to overbites and underbites, the idea is to wear them for as long as is necessary to fix the condition and not a moment longer. As expensive and inconvenient as these devices can be, the best way to avoid wearing them any longer or having to get them repaired is to take proper care of them from the start. This can be accomplished with a few good oral hygiene habits and a touch of common sense.

1.) Brush carefully

If you ever took brushing for granted in the past, you'll need to develop some more consistent and meticulous brushing habits. Brushing after every single meal is one of the best ways to avoid trapping food particles and bacteria that might cause cavities. It might hurt a bit at first to brush, but this should go away after the first week. Keep in mind that there are special toothbrushes designed specifically for this purpose, allowing you to get into those hard-to-reach places.

2.) Floss regularly

Although flossing might seem incredibly difficult with braces, it's actually more important than ever before, since there are that many more places where food can get caught. Ask your dentist or orthodontist about flossing techniques to help you get behind the main arch wire and up to the gum area. There are also special flossers available to make this easier.

3.) Stay away from certain foods

Your orthodontist will give you a list of foods to stay away from that you should pay special attention to. This is likely to include hard, sticky, chewy and crunchy foods. Hard foods like nuts and hard candies can actually damage the wires and most of the others on the list can get easily stuck in places that are hard to reach. In addition, it is often recommended that you stick to soft foods for the first few days, avoiding tough meats, raw vegetables and hard bread.

4.) Wear a mouthguard when necessary

This applies primarily to athletes who participate in contact sports where there might be a chance of getting hit in the mouth. Wrestling, martial arts and football are a few examples of activities where there's a greater chance of either damaging your orthodontics, or possibly even causing injury to the soft tissues of the mouth.

5.) Don't miss any dental appointments

Your orthodontist will expect to see you regularly, to check your progress. Treatment time varies from one patient to another and these follow-up appointments are necessary to make any adjustments and further recommendations, based on how well your particular treatment is progressing. If there is any damage to your braces, this is the time to get it fixed. Most orthodontists will take care of any normal or common repairs, but don't expect them to cover damage due to neglect or missing appointments. Remember not to miss any non-orthodontic dental appointments, either.

The length of time you have to wear your braces can range from a few months to a couple years, or more. Until it's time for them to come off, it's important that you take better care of your teeth than you ever have in the past and treat your orthodontics with the very same care, as though they were a part of your own mouth. Think of them as an investment not only in financial terms, but also in terms of what they will do for your appearance in the years to come.