Before or after breakfast: The right time to brush your teeth is…

 

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A post shared by Cory Rodriguez (@healthwithcory)

“Most will drink their coffee, have their breakfast, and then directly go and brush their teeth. This is a wrong move as after you eat, your mouth is in an acidic state that lasts for 30 minutes to an hour. If you brush your teeth during that time, you are going to brush away the acids from the enamel. On the other hand, brushing first thing in the morning helps to disorganise any of the biofilm and any bad bacteria that has been growing throughout the night due to having the lowest saliva production than during the day. So, the correct way would be to brush your teeth, wait for 30 minutes or so, eat breakfast, drink coffee, do whatever you have to do, and then you can rinse right afterwards. And you should be brushing your teeth right before bedtime,” shared Rodriguez.

Since it goes without saying that cleaning your teeth properly is the core of dental hygiene, let us decode the right technique for brushing with some help from experts.

Labelling the practice to brush immediately after food as “wrong”, Dr Karishma Jaradi, head dental surgeon – Dentzz Dental said that acidic food impacts the tooth enamel by softening it, and brushing the teeth at that moment may damage it further. “As a best-practice, one should wait for at least half an hour after consuming food before brushing their teeth, because in this time the saliva in the mouth nullifies the acid and the enamel becomes hard again, preventing damage to the teeth. Rinsing the mouth with water or chewing a sugar-free gum also helps neutralise the acid in the mouth,” Dr Jaradi told indianexpress.com.

Moreover, brushing close to bed time after dinner also helps to remove all the remains and food debries that might increase the pathogenic count of the mouth overnight, said Dr Arijit Sengupta, BDS (WBDC), Kolkata.

How to brush properly?

Notably, “one should not be aggressive” while using the tooth brush as too much force can result in tooth and gum damage, Dr Jaradi elucidated.

Do you like to eat before brushing your teeth? (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

What kind of tooth paste or powder works better?

Brushing your teeth with a good fluoride toothpaste, two times a day, is highly recommended to have a good set of teeth, Dr Jaradi told indianexpress.com. “To maintain regular oral hygiene, it is important to rinse your mouth with water after every meal. One should also floss at least once a day, preferably before brushing at night to remove plaque and food particles that may gather between your teeth and gums. Flossing should be done very gently and should not result in any pain or bleeding from the gums. It is also recommended to rinse your mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash,” Dr Jaradi said.

How many times should you brush then?

Experts are of the opinion that brushing your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once before bedtime, along with rinsing after meals and flossing is recommended for a good dental hygiene routine.

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