From childhood, everyone knows that you need to brush your teeth every day, otherwise a visit to the dentist is just around the corner, and far from preventive. And if some people neglect evening brushing because of fatigue or laziness, then in the morning every self-respecting person brushes his teeth. And here a reasonable question arises, and when is it right 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 the layer of bacteria that has formed overnight in order 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 a lot of food debris between the teeth that will decompose until the next brushing. Still others seriously believe that, ideally, it is necessary to clean both before and after breakfast. But they also have a government in the form of dentists who say that wielding a toothbrush is often also harmful.
And if you dig deeper, then there are advantages to all methods. Therefore, when choosing when to brush your teeth in the morning - before or after a meal, you need to weigh the pros and cons. After all, in addition to preferences and attitudes, it also depends on some individual characteristics that the dentist will tell you after examining the oral cavity. For example, on the thickness of the enamel and the condition of the gums.
Pros of brushing before breakfast
Among all the options when brushing your teeth in the morning - before or after a meal, this one is chosen by the majority. Surely the main reason lies in the fact that this is just a pleasant element of the awakening ritual that charges you with a good mood.
Here are some other strong arguments for brushing your teeth before breakfast:
- fresh breath at breakfast;
- destruction of bacterial plaque formed overnight;
- Formation of a protective layer of fluoride.
Perhaps this is where the pros end and the cons begin.
Cons of brushing before breakfast
When choosing when to brush your teeth in the morning - before or after a meal, you need to take into account the results of research. More recently, studies by the US Academy of General Dentistry have shown that brushing your teeth immediately after eating or drinking does indeed destroy dentin. This happens due to the fact that this layer of tooth enamel immediately after eating food, especially acidic food, is very vulnerable. This vulnerability disappears approximately 10-20 minutes after eating, depending on whetherhow aggressive she was.
The most popular argument of those who care about brushing their teeth before breakfast (that bacteria will get into the esophagus) breaks down into a couple of scientific facts. First, the stomach contains hydrochloric acid, which will kill most benign bacteria. And secondly, since the oral cavity was isolated at night, dangerous bacteria could not penetrate there, and those that multiplied are part of the microflora. Provided that a person brushed his teeth in the evening and did not eat anything after that. That's why you shouldn't neglect your evening brushing.
Pros of brushing after breakfast
But brushing your teeth after breakfast, of course, is not useless, it also has its advantages.
- If you had strong-smelling foods for breakfast, freshening up your mouth won't hurt.
- The esophagus will not get bacteria that multiply in huge numbers overnight.
- It helps keep teeth white.
- The taste of food won't change with brushing your teeth.
But as you can see, all these benefits are mostly about personal experience, not dental he alth.
Is frequent cleaning of the mouth useful?
The fact is that brushing your teeth after every meal, and especially with an electric toothbrush, is fraught with the fact that the teeth and gums will become sensitive and covered with small scratches. And besides the fact that the remains of food stuck between the teeth are a favorable environment for the development of bacteria, food can also harm tooth enamel and gums. For example, fruitjuices contain acids, and wine and coffee are 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 he alth and beauty of the teeth.
According to the advice of dentists, brush your teeth in the morning before or after meals only once, and the second time before bed. More important is not the frequency, but the thoroughness and observance of all the rules of cleaning. The rest of the time, it is worth using more gentle methods of cleaning the oral cavity. By all rights, this means that, in addition to the toothbrush, the daily cavity cleansing ritual should include the following steps:
- Thorough cleaning of teeth 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 attachment.
- Remove all food debris with dental floss or irrigator.
- Using mouthwash.
Such a thorough cleaning should be only once a day, namely before going to bed. If you use an electric toothbrush, you should also use it once a day, and the rest of the time - a regular one.
How often should you brush your teeth?
In the past, most dentists recommended brushing your teeth after every meal. But now a growing body of research is proving that it does more harm than good. And besides, in a working day it is almost impossible. Therefore, a full-fledged brushing with a toothbrush using toothpaste can be replaced by moreeasy manipulations.
Substitute for brushing your teeth?
The urge to brush your teeth as soon as you wake 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 a staleness in the mouth. This is because, even if the teeth were perfectly brushed before going to bed, bacteria were still multiplying in the mouth.
But in order to freshen your breath, it is not necessary to thoroughly brush your teeth in the morning - before or after meals - with a toothbrush. This can be done in more gentle ways for enamel. For example, using a conditioner before breakfast. And recently, an even more effective tool for such purposes has appeared on the market - this is a cleansing foam for teeth. Its advantage over the rinse is that the foam structure penetrates better into plaque and hard-to-reach places. Well, don't discount good old sugar-free gum.
