Should I Brush My Teeth After Eating?

We have all heard about brushing your teeth immediately after eating a meal. What you're about to learn from Dr. Jerry will probably go against everything you've learned about dental health. Minimize brushing your teeth immediately after eating.

Why Shouldn't I Brush My Teeth Right After a Meal?

Now, we at Smith Smile Orthodontics are not saying not to brush your teeth after every meal. You want to remove any food particles that could harm your teeth. Letting it sit on your teeth for too long could cause cavities, as we all know. However, what we do recommend is waiting at least an hour after eating before you brush. The bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugars to make acid. The bacterial acid weakens tooth enamel and brushing runs the risk of scrubbing away layers of the weakened enamel. Now you should perform a gentle cleaning to get stuck food out. Try rinsing with water or even better a gentle Waterpik, but save the big brushing for later. Coffee, sugar, ice cream, and soda are some of major corporates.

In Conclusion

The information to take away from this is to wait at 60 minutes before brushing your teeth after eating. This point is especially stressed after eating a more sugary or acidic meal. A novel idea would be to brush well with water before eating or drinking to remove as many bacteria from your teeth before feeding them. If you have any questions about this or any other question about your dental health, call Dr. Jerry at his Canton or Marietta, Georgia location!