Charcoal toothpaste is such a marketing gimmick—totally agree. I tried one of those black powders once and it turned my braces bands gray for weeks, which was not the look I was going for. Electric toothbrushes are a game-changer though, especially if you’ve got wires or brackets to work around. Floss picks saved my sanity too, even if they get stuck sometimes. Dry mouth is rough...I keep a water bottle on me all day, but honestly, nothing really fixes the pasty feeling after a smoke. And yeah, taste is just...blunted now. Coffee tastes like cardboard half the time. Maybe that’s why I switched to tea.
Charcoal toothpaste always struck me as more hype than help, especially with braces—sorry you had to deal with the gray bands. I’ve noticed electric toothbrushes actually get in between the wires way better than manual ones, but do you ever worry about over-brushing with them? For dry mouth, have you tried any of those xylitol mints or sprays? I get the water bottle thing, but sometimes it just doesn’t cut it. The taste bud thing is real...coffee just isn’t the same these days. Does tea actually taste better for you, or is it just less disappointing?
Electric toothbrushes are game-changers for braces, I agree, but I totally get the worry about overdoing it. My kid’s ortho actually warned us about brushing too hard and causing gum recession, so we switched to a soft head and set a timer. It’s helped a lot. Xylitol mints are a staple in our house now—some sprays left a weird aftertaste, but the mints seem to help with dry mouth, at least for a bit. Coffee’s basically lost all its magic for me too…herbal tea is just less disappointing, I guess, but honestly nothing tastes quite right these days.
Brushing too hard is such an easy trap to fall into, especially with braces. I used to think “the harder, the better,” but my gums definitely disagreed... Swapping to extra-soft heads made a huge difference. The timer trick is underrated—two minutes feels forever at first, but now it’s second nature. Xylitol mints help me too, though I’ll admit I miss that fresh feeling from mouthwash (without the chemical burn). Coffee’s lost its magic for me as well…herbal tea just doesn’t quite hit the spot, but it’s better than nothing. At least our breath isn’t scaring off the cat anymore.
I hear you on missing that mouthwash zing, but honestly, I still use a gentle alcohol-free rinse now and then. My dentist swears it’s fine as long as it’s not the harsh kind. Maybe it’s just habit, but it helps me feel a bit fresher, especially after coffee (which I still sneak in, even if it’s not as tasty as before). Herbal tea just doesn’t cut it for me either...
