Can Braces Cure Bad Breath?

Halitosis, or bad breath, is one of the most common signs that our dental hygiene might be lacking. It can negatively impact us during conversations, social situations, or when meeting someone new, but it could also be an indicator of other more pressing problems.

Bad breath occurs when the bacteria in our mouth begin feeding on the food stuck on or in our teeth. The bacteria break down this food and produce a toxin that not only erodes our teeth’s surface enamel, but also smells unpleasant too.

This build-up of bacteria is what causes bad breath, and no matter how often or religiously we may clean our teeth, the problem can remain. We can clean our teeth all we like, but without addressing the nooks and crevices that house these bacteria, we can’t really tackle the root of the problem.

This is where teeth straightening with adult braces comes in

By straightening your teeth, you realign any overlapping teeth and create a uniform symmetry to your mouth. This lessens the depth and number of hard-to-reach places when cleaning your teeth and gives less shelter to food and bacteria. By increasing the uniform surface area of your teeth, you make them easier to clean and maintain, lessening the available places for bacteria build-up, and therefore lessening bad breath!

In this same instance, teeth straightening can help prevent extensive tooth decay. Bad breath can signify underlying decay and while it’s very important to clean your teeth properly, adult braces can help here too. By minimising the pockets where bacteria collect, you save yourself from decay and unpleasant breath.

Why you might have bad breath

Your bad breath could also be a sign of gum disease lurking below the surface of your gum line. The guilty bacteria release a nasty compound that causes inflammation, bleeding, and discomfort, not to mention a bad smell. By straightening your teeth, you lessen the surface area of exposed gum by guiding your teeth into their natural place and filling the gaps. This allows less of a chance for food to become lodged, attracting less bacteria, and therefore less of a chance of bad breath.

Adult braces aren’t just great for straightening your cosmetic smile, but they can also tackle these health concerns. Bad breath may be a sign of something more sinister, such as tooth decay or gum disease, so it’s always best to visit your dentist to get it checked out.

By straightening your teeth, you can help maintain their look, feel, and function better than ever before. Cleaning them attentively and professionally with your hygienist is a fantastic way to maintain the health of your smile but straightening them could also do them a world of good.

Not only do our expert dentists offer their services in professional cleaning, decay detection, and acid erosion management, but they also offer a wide range of adult braces. More and more people are opting for adult braces because they’re realising that straight teeth can be achieved at any age, not just in your teens. Despite this, we do understand that visible braces can be embarrassing for some people, which is why we offer discrete and even invisible braces.

Contact Us

Contact our Clapham dental practice today to straighten your teeth, smile brighter, and tackle bad breath!

Contact Our Dentists in Clapham Today!

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