I've heard that its better to brush your teeth before breakfast than after it - is this true?

Answer 1

If you've brushed your teeth before going to bed the previous night, then the bacteria in your mouth have had no sugars to utilise and to cause damage. They are inactive.
So there is no dental need to brush before breakfast, but you can if you want to freshen your breath.
After breakfast is much more important to remove all the food supplies and active bacteria to prevent decay.

Answer 2

It's always better to brush after you've eaten because otherwise the sugars from your food will stay in your mouth to feed the bacteria that cause cavities and bad breath. However, it's important that you wait a little while after eating acidic food (so stuff like citrus fruits/juices like orange juice, sodas like coke, etc) because your enamel gets softened after eating these foods. If you brush too soon after, it's a lot easier to wear it down because it's softer, which weakens your teeth's defenses.

Answer 3

There was an article about this in the paper th other day (sorry can't remember which ome) Basically, the dentist was saying that it was not a good idea to brush before you ate because you would have food residue hanging aroung for longer. Nor is it a good idea to brush immediately afterwards because you can damage the enamel.

Apparently the optimum time was 30 mins after breakfast.

Answer 4

I feel that it is better to brush afterwards. You don't want leftover residue and food particles sitting on and in between your teeth all morning (or all day if you only brush 2 times daily). I think it's better to brush after eating and then rinse after brushing. Make sure you use a soft toothbrush. Good luck.

Answer 5

Well we used to say "an apple a day keeps the dentist away" and that was the dental health experts saying that, then they found that apples weren't as good for your teeth as they'd first thought. I'd say after breakfast as you taint your taste-buds with mint or whatever so you may end up over compensating on your food with sugar and salt! If you brush your teeth before you go to bed, when you get up in the morning have a drink of mineral water or something and rinse round your mouth, that'll help take away any dryness/bad taste and refresh your taste-buds, then brush your teeth after breakfast, 30 minutes after if you can, if you don't have 30 minutes to wait have another rinse with water and then brush!

Answer 6

'N' 'O'. NO. there is practically no diff in brushing ur teeth before or after u take breakfast, but scientifically proven, brushing ur teeth AFTER having breakfast prevents the possibility of gettin gum diseases while brushing before eating breakfast only cleans up ur teeth, only to be
'contaminated' again afteru eat ur breakfast. BRUSH UR TEETH AFTER EATING BREAKFAST!!! (i wud recommend brushing BOTH after and before, though)

Answer 7

What a lot of people don't realise about their mouths is how the bacteria work. When you eat, the naturally occuring bacteria in the mouth use the sugars and nutrients in the food to feed themselves, which encourages them to leave acidic residue.
Some foods, like fruit juices, also contain acids, as does your own saliva.

It is these acids which can leach the vital minerals out of the tooth enamel. NEVER brush your teeth directly after a meal, as this will only help to remove the minerals in the teeth and wear them away faster.

It takes the saliva about 30 minutes to neutralise the acids produced this way, so it'll be better to brush after that. Eating a small piece of cheese or some milk after a meal will minimise the acid damage too, as they encourage neutralisation of the mouth.

What you can do, however, is use a fluoride gel or mouthwash when you've neither eaten nor brushed your teeth for an hour or so; this will help the teeth to rebuild their mineral content, helping towards the prevention of decay.

Hope this helps.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

My Dentist urges that I should just keep brushing my teeth before AND after each and every meal - if I want to remain really healthy.

Answer 10

Helps you to taste and enjoy breakfast! Surely you clean your teeth first thing (after doing a wee) 'cause there is nothing worse than the taste in your mouth when you have just woken up.