It’s been an age-long debate over when you should brush and floss your teeth for optimized oral health. Many people gauge when they should do their dental hygiene routine by when they wake up and go to bed, but that’s actually not the case. When you should brush your teeth depends on when you have breakfast and dinner. According to a professional from Quip, the best time to brush is 30 minutes before you have breakfast and 30 minutes after dinner. Read on to learn why that’s the case and other tips to optimize your oral health.
The Problem With Brushing Right After You Eat
If you brush right after you eat, it’s likely that you’ll be wearing away the protective surface of your tooth, called the enamel, and once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. When you eat or drink items that are acidic, such as red wine for dinner, or a grapefruit for breakfast, they soften your enamel. If it’s still softened by the time you brush, you’re actually wearing it away even more than it naturally would, which is why it’s a good idea to wait at lease 30 minutes after your dinner to brush.
This same reason applies to why you would brush your teeth before you indulge in your favorite acidic breakfast foods, such as coffee and orange juice. After you wait 30 minutes, your enamel will harden again, and the saliva in your mouth will have had time to neutralize the acid, making it safe to brush your teeth without eroding your enamel.
Never Go a Full Day Without Brushing
Everybody has busy lives and schedules that can get in the way of taking care of the basic tasks, such as eating, brushing, and flossing. Unsurprisingly, that’s not great for your overall wellbeing. If you regularly forget to brush or floss, it can cause serious oral health problems to develop, such as gum disease. This is one of the most common oral issues among Americans, affecting one out of every two adults, and it can develop within 24 hours of plaque and food debris buildup.
When you brush and floss your teeth, you’re removing accumulated, plaque, food debris, and harmful oral bacteria that produce waste in the form of toxins and acids in your mouth. These wear away at the enamel and irritate your oral tissues, causing your gums to become inflamed or bleed. Without frequent and routine dental hygiene, gum disease can develop and cause permanent damage to your mouth.
Don’t Forget to Change Your Toothbrush
Did you know that the ADA recommends changing your toothbrush every three months? If you took a poll among Americans, most people wouldn’t know this! Bacteria can easily become trapped between the bristles of brushes, causing oral infections and even making you sick if you used your toothbrush when you had a cold or the flu. By switching it out, not only will you be substituting a toothbrush with better bristles to clean your teeth with, but you’ll also be reducing your risk of transferring bacteria from the brush to your mouth.
Keeping your mouth clean and knowing how your teeth, gums, and saliva all work together to fight off or create oral health problems puts you at an advantage for fighting these problems off. When you optimize your oral health by continuing to brush and floss at the right times, you’ll be warding off common oral health problems, reducing your potential dental bills, and feeling more confident in your grin!
About the Author
Dr. Anil Patel is passionate about giving his patients the knowledge and tools they need to optimize their oral health and feel confident in their smiles. He enjoys building life-long relationships with his patients and watching them grow, all while being able to take care of their dental needs throughout their lives. He regularly completes continuing education courses so he can provide each person that walks through his doors with high-quality dental care. For questions or to schedule an appointment, visit Studio Dental of Chisholm Trail’s website or call 817-717-6788.