Since childhood, everyone knows that you need to brush your teeth every day, otherwise a visit to the dentist is not far off, and far from preventive. And while evening brushing is neglected by some from fatigue or laziness, in the morning every self-respecting person brushes his teeth. And here a reasonable question arises, and when to brush your teeth in the morning - before or after a meal?
So before or after a meal?
Here the opinions of dentists often differ. There are adherents of the opinion that it is necessary to clean out that layer of bacteria that formed during the night to prevent it from entering the stomach. Others say that hydrochloric acid will not allow these bacteria to harm the body, but after breakfast there will be many food debris between the teeth that will decompose before the next brushing. Still others seriously consider that ideally they should be cleaned both before and after breakfast. But there is also a reprimand for them in the form of dentists who say that it is often also harmful to use a toothbrush.
And if you dig deeper, then all methods have advantages. Therefore, choosing when to brush your teeth in the morning - before or after a meal, you need to weigh the pros and cons. Indeed, in addition to preferences and views, this also depends on some individual characteristics that the dentist will tell you after examining the oral cavity. For example, the thickness of the enamel and the state of the gums.
The benefits of cleaning before breakfast
Among all the options when brushing your teeth in the morning - before or after a meal, this one is chosen by most. Surely the main reason lies in the fact that this is just a pleasant element of the ritual of awakening, which charges a good mood.
And here are other weighty arguments in favor of brushing your teeth before breakfast:
- fresh breath at breakfast;
- destruction of bacterial plaque formed during the night;
- formation of a protective layer of fluoride.
Perhaps, on this all the pros and cons and the cons begin.
Cons of cleaning before breakfast
When choosing when to brush your teeth in the morning - before or after a meal, you need to consider research results. More recently, studies at the U.S. Academy of General Dentistry have shown that brushing your teeth immediately after eating or drinking really destroys dentin. This is due to the fact that this layer of tooth enamel immediately after eating food, especially acid, is very vulnerable. This vulnerability passes approximately 10-20 minutes after a meal, depending on how aggressive it was in terms of exposure.
The most popular argument of those who care about brushing their teeth before breakfast (that bacteria get into the esophagus) is broken up by a couple of scientific facts. First, the stomach contains hydrochloric acid, which will kill most non-hazardous bacteria. And secondly, since the oral cavity was isolated at night, the dangerous bacteria could not penetrate there, and those that multiplied were part of the microflora. Provided that the person brushed his teeth in the evening and did not eat anything after that. That's why you should not neglect the evening brushing.
The benefits of cleaning after breakfast
But brushing your teeth after breakfast, of course, is not useless, it also has its advantages.
- If there were products with a strong smell for breakfast, refreshing your mouth will not hurt.
- Bacteria that multiply in numbers in the night will not enter the esophagus.
- This helps preserve the whiteness of the teeth.
- The taste of food will not change due to brushing your teeth.
But as you can see, all these advantages relate mainly to personal sensations, rather than dental health.
Is frequent oral cleansing helpful?
The fact is that brushing your teeth after each meal, and especially with an electric toothbrush, is fraught with the fact that the teeth and gums become sensitive and are covered with small scratches. And besides the fact that the remnants of food themselves, stuck between the teeth, are a favorable environment for the development of bacteria, food can also cause harm to tooth enamel and gums. For example, fruit juices contain acids, while wine and coffee contain persistent dyes. And therefore, soft and gentle cleansing after each meal and even drinks is not some kind of tediousness, but quite adequate care for the health and beauty of the teeth.
According to the advice of dentists, brushing your teeth in the morning before or after a meal should be done only once, and the second time - before bedtime. More important is not frequency, but thoroughness and compliance with all cleaning rules. The rest of the time it is worth using more gentle methods of cleaning the oral cavity. By all rules, this means that, in addition to the toothbrush, the daily ritual for cleansing the cavity should include the following steps:
- Thorough brushing with a brush and toothpaste in a circular motion strictly according to the scheme for 2 minutes.
- Cleaning the tongue with a special brush or nozzle.
- Remove all food debris with dental floss or irrigator.
- Use mouthwash.
Such thorough cleaning should be only once a day, namely before bedtime. If an electric toothbrush is used, it is also worth using it once a day, and the rest of the time it is normal.
How often do you need to brush your teeth?
Previously, most dentists recommended brushing your teeth after each meal. But now more and more research is proving that it does more harm than good. And besides, in a working day it is almost impossible. Therefore, a full brushing with toothpaste can be replaced with easier manipulations.
How to replace toothbrushing?
The desire to brush your teeth immediately after waking up is understandable. Despite the fact that during sleep the remnants of food could not stick to the teeth, in the morning there is always freshness in the mouth. This is because, even if the teeth were perfectly brushed before bedtime, bacteria multiplied in the mouth anyway.
But in order to refresh your breath, it is not necessary to thoroughly brush your teeth in the morning - before or after a meal - with a toothbrush. This can be done in more gentle ways for enamel. For example, using a rinse aid before breakfast. And recently, an even more effective remedy for such purposes has appeared on the market - it is a cleansing foam for teeth. Its advantage over rinse aid is that the foam structure penetrates better into plaque and inaccessible places. Well, you should not discount the good old chewing gum without sugar.