Yeah, I totally get what you mean about breath getting weird with braces—food just finds all these new places to hide. For me, the dental wax mostly just helps with pokey wires, not really with dry mouth or breath. As for gum, honestly, most of the “long-lasting” ones are kind of a letdown, but I’ve had decent luck with plain mint Trident. It’s cheap and doesn’t burn my mouth like some others do. Hang in there—it gets easier once you figure out what works for you.
Mint Trident’s decent, but I actually had better luck with Spry xylitol gum—seems to help with dry mouth too, not just the breath. The flavor doesn’t last forever, but it doesn’t get that weird aftertaste either. Braces make everything trickier... I swear, water and a travel toothbrush are my best friends these days.
I totally get where you're coming from—my kid just got braces and honestly, it feels like every snack or sip of juice is a new obstacle. I’ve been super cautious about gum, even the xylitol kind, just because I worry about anything sticking to the brackets. But Spry does seem gentler than most, and the dentist said it’s probably okay in moderation. Still, I’m with you—water and that little travel brush are basically glued to us now. I wish there was an easier fix, but for now, I’m just relieved we’ve avoided any broken wires (so far).
water and that little travel brush are basically glued to us now
Right? My niece just got braces and I swear she treats her water bottle like a security blanket. We tried Spry too—seems less sticky than regular gum, but I still get nervous watching her chew it, like I'm waiting for a bracket to just pop off. Honestly, I think the real MVP is plain old breath spray... no chewing, nothing stuck, and she feels fancy using it. Braces life is wild.
I get what you mean about being nervous with gum and braces—my ortho basically gave me a “chew at your own risk” talk. I tried Spry too, but honestly, I kept picturing my brackets just… snapping off mid-chew. Breath spray is underrated, seriously. I carry one everywhere now, even though I feel a little silly using it sometimes. It’s just easier than stressing about stuff getting stuck or breaking something. Braces really do make you rethink the tiniest things.