What's the best time to brush your teeth?
We all know the importance of brushing our teeth, a critical daily routine for maintaining good oral health. From childhood, we are taught the whys and wherefores of this good habit. However, it is rarely mentioned that the minute chosen for brushing teeth can have a significant effect on its effectiveness. So when should you brush your teeth? Here are the details.
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Brushing immediately after eating: good or bad?
Many people brush their teeth within minutes of having breakfast, lunch or dinner. Even government recommendations stipulate brushing your teeth after every meal. After proclaiming, why not freshen your breath straight away? Shock: it would be better to wait a bit!
The answer lies in the acidity present in many problems. This residual acid damages the enamel, the outer layer of the teeth. Acidic foods, while not all necessarily bad for your health, are numerous, including.:
- Coffee
- Citrus fruits and their juices (lemon, grapefruit, orange, lime, etc).
- Certain fruits (grapes, blueberries, pineapple, apples).
- Tomatoes (and tomato juice).
- Processed grains (white bread, white rice, white pasta, and so on).
- Dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt).
- Red meat (beef, sausages, pepperoni, etc.).
- Fish and seafood.
- Soft drinks.
The problem: brushing too quickly 'pushes' the acid into the enamel, making it more vulnerable. This is also why we advise against brushing immediately after an episode of acid reflux.)
The good news is that teeth remineralise on their own (hooray!), but this takes at least 30 mins after eating.
In the meantime, dentists recommend drinking water or simply rinsing your mouth to help the remineralisation process.
Why is it important to avoid damaging enamel?
Enamel, the protective layer covering the teeth, does not regenerate because it is not a living tissue. When enamel erodes, the damage is permanent, and the consequences include:.
- sensitivity to hot and cold;.
- yellowing of damages;.
- an increased risk of dental decay.
There's no need to panic, though: enamel is fairly robust and doesn't suffer catastrophic damage from the slightest early brushing of damage! The fact remains, however, that the simple fact of waiting before carrying out your dental hygiene routine is a good way of preventing enamel deterioration.
Should we brush our teeth before breakfast?
This is a surprisingly controversial question! Some dentists advocate brushing your damages before your morning meal. Firstly, this activity boosts saliva production, which helps protect against cavities by reducing the number of harmful bacteria in the mouth.
What's more, after a night's sleep, the mouth is at its bacterial peak - which explains the famous morning breath. And what feeds us also feeds the many micro-organisms that love plaque! These, feasting on the breakfast residues on our teeth, proliferate and encourage cavities.
However, other professionals claim that this phenomenon is not large enough to have harmful effects. It's true that breakfast is usually a lighter, shorter meal than the other meals of the day. And, in any case, this problem can easily be solved by brushing your teeth (for half an hour!) after breakfast...
If, for whatever reason, brushing your teeth after breakfast isn't an option for you (say, if mornings are a bit chaotic with young children), it can't hurt to do it when you wake up.
A reminder from healthy damages.
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- In addition to this advice on the best time to do your oral hygiene, here's a summary of the steps you can take to preserve a sweetheart smile.
- Brush your teeth for at least two minutes every morning and evening (try using a stopwatch and you'll see that it probably takes longer than you think).
- Use a soft-bristled damage brush and fluoride toothpaste.
- Don't brush too aggressively.
- Floss after brushing.
- Get enough calcium, phosphorus and vitamins A, C and D.
- Limit sweets (including dried fruit).
- Visit the dentist at least once a year for a dental cleaning and check-up.
- Change your toothbrush every 3 months.