Is it better to brush your teeth before or after meals?

Is it better to brush your teeth before or after meals?

We all know that brushing teeth is a good habit, and most people brush their teeth in the morning and evening. But some people brush their teeth immediately after a meal, or even after eating something. Brushing teeth can not only help us clean our mouth and remove bad breath, but also help prevent oral diseases. Many people have their own opinions on whether it is better to brush your teeth before or after meals. Some think it is better to brush your teeth before meals, while others think it is better to brush your teeth after meals. So what is the truth? Let's hear the opinions of professional dentists.

Some professional dentists believe that it is better to brush your teeth before meals. But a more scientific statement is that whether to brush your teeth before or after meals should be adjusted according to what you eat for breakfast. The reason why dentists believe it is better to brush your teeth before meals is because brushing your teeth after meals can clean the dirt more thoroughly. However, if you eat acidic foods such as fruits or juice for breakfast, you should brush your teeth before meals. You should not brush your teeth within half an hour after consuming acidic food. This is because the acid contained in acidic food has a weakening and corrosive effect on the enamel of teeth. If you brush your teeth immediately after a meal, the friction of the toothbrush and toothpaste on the teeth may cause greater damage to the enamel, making the teeth not well protected, and thus posing a hidden danger to dental health. Therefore, if you know that you will eat acidic foods for breakfast, you should brush your teeth before the meal, or do not brush your teeth for half an hour after eating acidic foods. Does it mean that you must not brush your teeth within half an hour after eating something acidic? What if you are an office worker who is busy going to work in the morning and cannot wait that long? Dr. Scott Frey from the United States pointed out: "Don't brush your teeth for 30 minutes after a meal, or you can use an alkaline mouthwash to rinse your mouth and adjust the pH value in your mouth back to normal before brushing your teeth." In other words, whether you brush your teeth before or after a meal should be adjusted according to the different ingredients. If you are used to eating sweets for breakfast, it is best to brush your teeth after the meal to help prevent tooth decay. If you are used to eating acidic foods for breakfast, it is best to brush your teeth before the meal or 30 minutes after the meal. Many office workers have the same problem. They brush their teeth every morning and evening, but their teeth still get decayed. Especially nowadays, people are busy with work and most of them do not have time to clean their teeth immediately after eating. At most, they just rinse their mouths with water. However, rinsing the mouth cannot thoroughly clean the plaque on the teeth. At most, it can only remove some food residues. Generally speaking, the 10 minutes after eating is a critical period for dental care, because the pH value in the mouth drops from 6.8 to 4.5, and the acidity reaches its peak. If the teeth are not cleaned immediately at this time, these acidic substances will erode the enamel on the surface of the teeth, causing decalcification and causing tooth decay. Therefore, doctors recommend that you follow the "golden ten minutes" principle and brush your teeth within 10 minutes after eating to avoid food residues producing acidic substances in your mouth, which can effectively reduce the chance of tooth decay. If it is not convenient to brush your teeth immediately after eating, it is recommended to chew sugar-free gum. This will not only not generate heat, but also will not produce acidic substances that cause tooth decay. It can also stimulate saliva secretion, enhance saliva flow and flow rate, help remove acidified and saccharified food residues on the tooth surface, and neutralize the acidity in the mouth. It is very convenient and effective for oral hygiene and dental care. Combine this with brushing your teeth frequently, having regular dental checkups and teeth cleanings every six months, and letting a professional dentist take care of your oral hygiene, and you will easily have healthy teeth. We have also discussed whether it is better to brush teeth before or after meals, and the conclusion is that it should be adjusted according to the food we eat. If you eat sweets, you should brush your teeth after meals. If you eat acidic food, you should brush your teeth before meals. Generally speaking, it is better to brush your teeth within ten minutes after eating, so as to effectively remove food residues remaining in the mouth.

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