Stop brushing after breakfast —you’re harming your teeth, medics warn

If your morning routine involves brushing teeth right after breakfast, you are actually destroying them and risking your dental health, experts warn.

Studies show that at least 40 per cent of people brush their teeth after taking their breakfast, which is a wrong practice, according to medics.

In order to best safeguard your dental health, medics recommend that teeth brushing should take place prior to the day’s first meal.

From shielding teeth from bacteria, ensuring fresh breath to enhancing food flavours, there are myriad benefits of brushing teeth before breakfast as illustrated by a team of dentists at the Belfast Clinic Paste Dental and British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

By brushing teeth first thing in the morning, the body is able to combat bacteria that accumulate in the mouth at night when a person is asleep, according to the experts. Bacteria cause plaque that envelops teeth and start eating away the enamel, resulting in tooth decay and cavities, they explain.

“Brushing teeth prior to having breakfast helps to remove plaque build-up from your teeth. It also activates secretion of saliva, which assists in killing harmful bacteria in the mouth,” the experts say.

Why you should brush teeth before and not after breakfast.

Safeguard against teeth enamel wear, sensitivity

Acid is produced when food consumed by a person is broken down by bacteria found in the mouth, says lead dentist Alan Clarke. When a person eats breakfast, drinks fruit juice or coffee, the bacteria are able to get sufficient sugar to generate acid, which in turn attacks the enamel cover on the teeth.

“Brushing your teeth before breakfast helps to remove the acidic environment and bacteria that can cause harm to the teeth enamel,”  he notes.

If you brush your teeth straight away after taking orange juice for breakfast, for instance, what happens is that you are actually flossing and brushing the acid from both the orange juice and bacteria between the teeth.

Experts advise waiting for at least half an hour before brushing after having breakfast to safeguard against dental sensitivity and wear as a result of the acid, which might weaken teeth enamel.

“Brushing too soon after consuming breakfast such as coffee and orange juice can intensify damage to the teeth enamel because at that time it is too vulnerable and weak,” the experts opine.

Enhance food flavours

Chances are, you might disagree with this if you have ever tried taking orange juice right after brushing teeth.

However, experts state that brushing your teeth prior to taking breakfast may actually enhance the taste of food.

Brushing beforehand helps to wash out flavours and bacteria that linger in the mouth and that may distort the taste of breakfast, according to the experts.

But a section of medics hold a different stand and are of the view that brushing ahead can interfere with the taste receptors. This is because of the presence of foaming agents (surfactants) found in toothpaste, which suppress the taste buds.

The team of experts at Colgate explain that surfactants suppress taste receptors, which are responsible for transmitting pleasant flavours in food.

In addition, the chemicals can also increase the bitter taste therefore intensifying the taste of sour drinks like orange juice and foods.

Surfactants distort the balance in drinks that have a combination of bittersweet flavors such as orange juice.

Morning odour

Most people would not be too confident to speak at close range immediately after waking up before brushing their teeth. Morning breath can be embarrassing to say the least.

The foul breath is caused by accumulation of bacteria in the mouth during the night. According to experts, production of saliva slows down when a person is asleep at night, leaving the mouth dry.

With the reduction of saliva, which is tasked with flushing out particles that cause odour, the mouth is left with a bacteria build-up, which emits a not so pleasant breath. “Brushing before taking breakfast can help in eradicating bad breath caused by mouth bacteria.

“This is important particularly if you have plans to interact with people early in the morning. It will be a relief to your partner as well.”

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