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Brush teeth - before or after breakfast?

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 ablackett 11 Jun 2015
Just watched a bit of BBC 1 - The truth about your teeth, not the most relaxing pre bed telly!

One thing that was said was you should brush your teeth before breakfast, not after, because the acid in your food/drink softens the enamel and causes damage if you brush straight after.

I always thought you should brush after to get the food/sugar off.

I'm not sure I could do it before breakfast - it would make my cup of tea taste funny!

What does everyone else do?
 freerangecat 11 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

After - toothpaste makes everything taste nasty if you clean them before!
1
 Timmd 11 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:
I know I should brush before, and I do about half the time, and sometimes if I forget I'll wait for ages if I'm at home in the hope the acid in my mouth will decrease before I brush, and brush them before lunch.
Post edited at 22:24
 wercat 11 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:
I brush some time after breakfast usually, not immediately, certainly before drinking any coffee. The dentist is usually fairly complimentary - 9 month appointments instead of 6, though perhaps he thinks I'm more likely to need treatment that way, or too old to merit 6 monthlies. And he actually told me that chocolate was better to eat than other sweets, which was great, but probably even more likely to make me need treatment.
Post edited at 22:35
 Dax H 11 Jun 2015
In reply to freerangecat:

> After - toothpaste makes everything taste nasty if you clean them before!

Before for me but I have a mild toothpaste for morning and a normal minty one for bed.
 Timmd 11 Jun 2015
In reply to Dax H:

I guess a cup of tea could help get rid of the minty flavour before breakfast. I shall investigate.
 Mark Kemball 11 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

Before breakfast and before bed. The first to clear any bacteria that have built up overnight the second to minimise the potential build up - it's the bacteria acting on the food in your mouth that causes the problems.
 Webster 11 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

After!!! whats the point in brushing them before, you haven't done anything since you last brushed! and if you don't brush after you don't start the day with fresh breath
8
 freerangecat 11 Jun 2015
In reply to Dax H:

> Before for me but I have a mild toothpaste for morning and a normal minty one for bed.

That's way too complicated!
 Timmd 11 Jun 2015
In reply to freerangecat:

Too much to think about in the mornings
 freerangecat 11 Jun 2015
In reply to Mark Kemball:

> Before breakfast and before bed. The first to clear any bacteria that have built up overnight the second to minimise the potential build up - it's the bacteria acting on the food in your mouth that causes the problems.

But your still clearing up the bacteria if you brush after breakfast, you've waited slightly longer and had some food and drink. I do get the acid argument (although it won't sway me - there can't be that much acid in tea and porridge), but surely whatever's built up can wait until after breakfast?
 freerangecat 11 Jun 2015
In reply to Timmd:

> Too much to think about in the mornings

I boiled over my porridge this morning - any level of functioning is hard for me in the mornings, adding tooth brushing and choices of toothpaste before I've had at least one cup of tea, some food, and time to remember which way is up is asking for trouble!
 pebbles 11 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

Both. Seriously.
 The Potato 11 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:
The advice the dental profession gives is not to brush immediately after eating due to risk of abrasion following a drop in oral pH.
Foods and drink should not be consumed untill 20 minutes after brushing to maximise the effect of the toothpaste.
The same goes for rinsing - brush, spit not rinse. Using a mouthwash straight after brushing is also pointless.

Now you know!
Post edited at 23:10
In reply to ablackett:

Did it say anything about fluoride toothpaste, one dentist I had said I should use this higher concentrate stuff but other things I read said in the long run it would make my teeth crumble. I'm not using it.
In reply to Hannah S:

> Did it say anything about fluoride toothpaste, one dentist I had said I should use this higher concentrate stuff but other things I read said in the long run it would make my teeth crumble. I'm not using it.

Dear Hannah,
if you are being recommended the higher concentrate (Duraphat 5000ppm ?), I think your dentist has (valid) concerns for your long term care and decay rate.
Who's stuff did you read that said your teeth would crumble?
I'm guessing not a dental professional?
-Adrian
 gethin_allen 11 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

Both, I have a quick brush without paste as soon as I get up to shift the carpeted mouth feeling so I can enjoy my breakfast and then have a proper going over with paste and mouthwash before work.
1
 The Potato 12 Jun 2015
In reply to gethin_allen:

> Both, I have a quick brush without paste as soon as I get up to shift the carpeted mouth feeling so I can enjoy my breakfast and then have a proper going over with paste and mouthwash before work.

See my post re mouthwash, its a sham

abseil 12 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

Before
abseil 12 Jun 2015
In reply to Pesda potato:

> See my post re mouthwash, its a sham

I asked my dentist about mouthwash. He said don't use it.
 Trangia 12 Jun 2015
In reply to abseil:

> I asked my dentist about mouthwash. He said don't use it.

So did mine. Salt water is better.

I do a salt water brush when I get up, then have breakfast followed by a shower, then run dental tape through the teeth to get bits of stuck food out and finally brush my teeth with a plaque fighting toothpaste. No coffee till mid morning.

Dental tape again followed by tooth paste brush just before bed.
 goose299 12 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

It's just been after but I think I've been converted.

Might have to be before tomorrow morning
 MG 12 Jun 2015
In reply to Webster:

> After!!! whats the point in brushing them before, you haven't done anything since you last brushed! and if you don't brush after you don't start the day with fresh breath

Don't know why this has five dislikes, seems obviously correct to me. If brushing the night before gets rid of everything, your teeth will not need brushing again if you haven't eaten anything. The only reason we really need to brush at all is all the sugary, fatty crap we eat.
5
 gethin_allen 12 Jun 2015
In reply to MG:

> Don't know why this has five dislikes, seems obviously correct to me. If brushing the night before gets rid of everything, your teeth will not need brushing again if you haven't eaten anything. The only reason we really need to brush at all is all the sugary, fatty crap we eat.

Brushing is to remove bacteria that turn all the food into acids that destroy teeth and bad smelling compounds. So at night bacteria with multiply eating any remaining food on your teeth (there will be a load left after brushing) so when you wake and feed the bacteria with loads of sugar, the bacteria also wake up and do their stuff.
 LastBoyScout 12 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

Mouthwash when I get up, which should harden them up a bit after the night, then brush after breakfast.

Had a check-up last week - dentist happy, so all good.
1
 drolex 12 Jun 2015
In reply to ablackett:

I do it during breakfast. Brushing my teeth with oats give them a sweet polish, while the whisky kills the bacteria in the mouth.
In reply to ablackett:

I can never brush my teeth in the morning. Makes me retch. Probably do it every other night, on average, if that. I'm a bit of a skank. But I never eat sweets or fizzy drinks, and chew sugar-free gum absolutely non-stop, except when drinking beer. Oh, and last check-up (the first in about 20 years or so): 32 perfect teeth, no cavities, no decay, no gum disease, no nothing. Here's to the next 20 years.
1
 Webster 15 Jun 2015
In reply to gethin_allen:

> Brushing is to remove bacteria that turn all the food into acids that destroy teeth and bad smelling compounds. So at night bacteria with multiply eating any remaining food on your teeth (there will be a load left after brushing) so when you wake and feed the bacteria with loads of sugar, the bacteria also wake up and do their stuff.

Then by your own admission backteria will still be there after brushing first thing, doing everything you just said except your not brushing after to remove food etc so not only do you have rotting teeth but also bad breath!
 The Potato 15 Jun 2015
In reply to Webster:

realistically, we only 'need' to brush once a day thoroughly - that would be before sleep.
Morning time you could simply freshen your mouth with toothpaste, chewing gum etc.
1

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