Braces Make My Breath Stink

Quest Johnson Orthodontics

We understand that bad breath can be uncomfortable to talk about but unfortunately it happens to most people for several different reasons. Bad breath, or halitosis, can be caused by poor oral hygiene, personal habits such as smoking or eating certain foods, or medical problems. The most common factor for bad breath in patients with braces at Quest Johnson Orthodontics is almost certainly caused by poor oral hygiene. 

After getting braces, patients may develop bad breath from not cleaning their teeth correctly. Bacteria feeds on food particles left in your mouth, and this bacteria creates odor. Because braces contain so many small spaces to trap food, the habits that worked great for cleaning your teeth before braces may no longer be enough. It's important to brush immediately after every meal or snack, or to vigorously rinse your teeth with water or mouthwash if you absolutely can't brush. Bad-breath-causing odors and bacteria can also cling to removable orthodontics (like a retainer or clear aligners), so be sure to remove them before eating, even if you're only eating a small amount. 

7 Ways to Prevent Bad Breath While Wearing Braces 

1. Brush and Floss Often - Follow a strict routine of brushing and flossing regularly. Brush your teeth after breakfast every morning and prior to going to bed. You follow this up with a daily flossing or WaterFlossing to remove any food particles and buildup of plaque between your teeth.
   
2. Use Fluoride Mouthwash - Always use your Phos-Flur/OrthoDefense mouthwash in your daily dental routine to help fight gingivitis, plaque, bad breath, and scars on your teeth. 
3. Stay Hydrated - Dehydration is bad for both your overall health and your oral health as it can increase the chances of bad breath greatly. Drink a lot of water every day to keep your mouth constantly clean and moist. 
4. Eat the Right Foods - Try to avoid sugary foods as much as possible as they lead to poor dental health which in turn leads to tooth decay and bad breath. 
5. Use a Water Flosser – The powerful jets of water provided by it is great for cleaning between your braces and gum line…leaving your mouth clean and fresh. 
6. Keep Breath Mints on Hand - If you've established a proper dental health routine but you still feel self-conscious about having bad breath, you can temporarily freshen your mouth with sugar-free breath mints. 
7. Schedule Regular Dental Visits - Scheduling regular dental visits will help you keep any tooth and gum problems at bay as well as to rectify any oral health issues that may be contributing to bad breath or affecting your braces. 

For more information on fighting bad breath visit our website or give one of our friendly team members a call...we are here to help.

New Year, New Habits

It’s a new year, and that means new opportunities for adopting healthy habits, that will help our teeth. We love encouraging our patients to create a healthy oral hygiene routine. Here are 2 healthy habits to start doing everyday in 2020.

Floss - Floss, floss and more floss. We have all heard how flossing is beneficial, let’s all pledge to floss more in 2020. Getting kids involved in flossing will help them understand from a young age the importance of this healthy routine.

Change Your Toothbrush - When was the last time you switched out your toothbrush? American Dental Association recommends changing your toothbrush every 3-4 months. By switching out our toothbrushes, we can prevent bacteria, keep our mouth fresh and healthy.

Check-in 4 Charity: UNICEF

At Quest Johnson Orthodontics, we believe in a world where kindness can impact lives and change futures. We are part of the Check-in 4 Charity program where every month, we feature a charity either locally or nationally to support.

All you have to do is check-in with an image or status update on Facebook and a donation is made on your behalf from us. This month were donating to UNICEF.

Can't Decide? Invisalign Top Benefits

Invisalign treatment is a technique that straightens your teeth without braces, using a series of clear, removable aligners that are custom-modeled to fit your teeth. The virtually invisible aligners gradually reposition your teeth into a smile of which you will be proud.

The advantage to Invisalign is the range of issues it can fix including: Overly crowded teeth, Widely spaced teeth, Overbites, Underbites, and Crossbites. This is the major benefit to invisalign. You can continue to live your life and your aligners are mostly invisible.

• Clear, virtually invisible aligners
• Removable, will not get in the way of your activities
• Easy to remove to eat, brush, and floss
• Graduate to a new set of aligners every 1 to 2 weeks
• Easy to monitor your progress with regular appointments

Not everyone is a candidate for the Invisalign aligner system. Please give our office a call to schedule a complimentary consultation.

When it comes to braces, your first few days may be uncomfortable. It may even feel as if your braces are sticking out. Your gums may be sore and tender, but that does not have to stop you from living your life.

An important item to use for relief is dental wax. Dental wax is “a soft, harmless gum protector for children and adults with braces that can be used in a pinch to cover brackets and protruding wires with a smooth surface,” according to Colgate. Dental wax can provide relief when a wire breaks and pokes out. Just add some dental wax on your gums and can help prevent pain while your wait for your next appointment.

Dental wax is completely safe.

Step 1: Be sure you have dental wax, you can ask us for recommendations on which we feel is best.
Step 2: Wash your hands.
Step 3: Brush your teeth, where you want to apply the dental wax
Step 4: Pinch off a piece of wax about the size of a small pea
Step 5: Squeeze until it softens and roll it into a ball, then flatten the ball slightly
Step 6: Gently push the wax onto the problem area of the braces


If you want to remove the dental wax, you can use floss. Be gentle, not to damage your teeth or gums. If you have any questions over dental wax, or any other orthodontic questions, please feel free to call us at (317) 834-4933 or at our Elwood Office at (765) 552-5461

New Year, New Charity

This month we are supporting the Make A Wish Foundation, a national non-profit organization aimed at providing dreams to children with critical illnesses. "Tens of thousands of volunteers, donors and supporters advance the Make-A-Wish® vision to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness."

Did you know on average a wish is granted every 34 minutes? How amazing and life changing is that!?

At Quest Johnson Orthodontics, we believe in a world where kindness can impact lives and change futures. All you have to do is check-in with an image or status update on Facebook and a donation is made on your behalf from us.

Which Type of Floss is Best?

If you’ve visited the dental care aisle recently, the sheer number of options available can be overwhelming. We often have patients ask us which floss is the “best” type of floss. In essence, all of the options on the market today do the same thing, and at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference. We’ve listed a few of the options below.  

Flossers: Flossers are small plastic instruments with a single floss strip and a pick on the opposite end. This option can be both effective at cleaning the areas in between your teeth and scraping off plaque. These flossers come in flavored varieties as well. They are a great “on the go” option.

Gentle Dental Floss: Some people will find that regular dental floss is too harsh on their gums. For that reason, several options are available that have soft coatings that are less abrasive on the gums. Typically, gentle floss is just as effective as regular floss and an ideal match for anyone looking for a more sensitive approach to flossing.

Flavored Dental Floss: Flavored dental floss will freshen your breath while you floss! We suggest flavored dental floss if it prompts you to floss your teeth regularly.

Of all of the options, it is difficult to choose the absolute best type of floss.  However, Dr. Quest, Dr. Johnson, and our team feel that the type of floss that works best for you, giving you the greatest chance of succeeding at regular flossing, is the ultimately best choice. For more information on floss, or flossing with braces, ask us at your next appointment. There are many ways to make it both easy AND effective.

Do You Have a Loose Wire or Bracket?

We know even despite your best efforts, the wires and bands on your braces may come loose. If this happens, please contact Quest Johnson Orthodontics as soon as possible so that we can check and repair your appliance. If any piece of your appliance comes off, be sure to save it and bring it to the office with you.

In an emergency, you can temporarily fix the loose wire by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to carefully and gently push the wire back into place. If the loose wire is causing irritation to your lips or cheeks, put wax or a wet cotton ball over the broken wire to relieve the pain until your appointment.

Don't hesitate to reach out to us immediately if you experience any issue with your braces. 

Spotlight on this month’s Check-In for Charity: UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. UNICEF’s work is possible through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States. They strive forward, toward the day when no children die from preventable causes, and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. UNICEF takes proven, low-cost methods that save children’s lives and makes them available regardless of income, ethnicity, or location.

This Month’s Check-In for Charity: Make a Wish

Tens of thousands of volunteers, donors, and supporters advance the Make-A-Wish vision to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness. In the United States, a wish is granted every 34 minutes. They believe a wish experience can be a game-changer. This one belief guides and inspires them to grant wishes that change the lives of the kids they serve. It compels them to be creative in exceeding the expectations of every wish kid. It drives them to make their donated resources go as far as possible.

At Make-A-Wish, wishes are more than just a nice thing. They are far more than gifts, or singular events in time. Wishes impact everyone involved - wish kids, volunteers, donors, sponsors, medical professionals, and communities. Please join us in supporting this amazing organization during the month of January.

Braces Newbie?

At Quest Johnson Orthodontics we are excited you have taken the first step toward a healthier and more beautiful smile, but you are probably wondering what comes next. The first week is the biggest period of adjustment, and there is a lot to learn in this short time. What to eat?  How to brush?  No worries, in a very short time your braces will feel completely natural.

On the first day, your braces will probably feel sort of like a mouthful and it may take time to get used to them. By the second day, you may feel some soreness or discomfort.   If you are going to experience any discomfort, the second and third days are when it will happen. If you do experience discomfort it can be dealt with by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Tylenol.

If you have any questions or concerns our team is here to help you! You can call us at our Mooresville office at (317) 834-4933 or our Elwood office at (765) 552-5461. We can also help with a few tips at your next appointment,  just ask! 

December Charity of the Month - Action Against Hunger

For almost 40 years, across nearly 50 countries, Action Against Hunger has led the global fight against hunger. They enable people to provide for themselves, see their children grow up strong, and for whole communities to prosper. Constantly searching for more effective solutions, Action Against Hunger continuously shares their knowledge and expertise with the world while pushing for long-term change.

About 815 million people go to bed hungry every night, and one in three children in low- and middle-income countries suffers from chronic undernutrition. Action Against Hunger works not only to treat acutely undernourished children through a community-based approach, but also to improve child survival and prevent undernutrition by addressing its underlying causes. Their technical expertise is internationally renowned, due to their more than 35 years of operational experience in countries with the highest "burdens" of hunger. They’ve also developed revolutionary nutrition products and field testing treatment protocols that have become international best practice. Action Against Hunger aims to increase the number of children worldwide who are screened and treated for undernutrition and to build the capacity of local health systems to treat undernutrition. 

Each time you check-in at our office during the month of December, a donation is made to benefit this wonderful charity. All of us at Quest Johnson Orthodontics thank you for your continued support.