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I brush my teeth first thing in the morning when I wake up, before breakfast, to ensure I have the perfect coffee breath for the whole day after breakfast.
After breakfast than floss+brush before bed. Before breakfast doesn't make sense to me because you're brushing twice when you haven't eaten anything.
Might seem counterintuitive at first pass, but brushing Before breakfast IS much better.
There's a couple of reasons for this. One thing being that you want to wash out the bacteria that have multiplied overnight - these are the ones that give you the morning stinkbreath, and that sticky coating you feel on your teeth.
Additionally, when you eat you expose your teeth to acids that weaken and softens your enamel for a while. Brushing the weakened enamel weakens the enamel over time. Brushing before on the other hand helps protect your teeth from said acids, reducing this weakening effect.
That said, brushing after you've eaten is still better than not brushing at all.
That makes sense. I can't say I'll change, purely because I don't want to eat breakfast with the taste of toothpaste in my mouth, but it's good to know.
Yeah that's my thought.
I ermm⦠only brush in the morning, after I had my shower. I know I should brush at least twice and I really wish I had the motivation to do so, but somehow I just find myself in bed without brushing.
But, to make up for it a little, I brush my teeth very meticulously for a minimum of 6 to 8 minutes. I follow intermittent fasting, so my next meal wonβt be for another couple of hours.
My dentist is always full of praise during my half yearly checkup so I must be doing something right?
I remember reading that only once a day is necessary if you brush properly, but most people don't brush properly, so the recommendation is twice a day to make up for that.
Thanks for letting me know, it makes me feel a little less guilty.
I still should make a change somehow, but I'll figure it out eventually :)
My dentist told me it actually takes ~24 hr for plaque to harden up into calculus so not to be too hard on myself if I only manage once a day. I think twice a day is probably best especially if spots are missed, but I rarely manage the morning cause I drink coffee all day and brush after my nightly shower.
Better to brush after getting up to remove any bacteria and plaque buildup. And then right before bed, floss+brush.
After my morning coffee to try and reduce coffee staining teeth
Also 100% recommend water flossers, they're a game changer cuz I was really bad about flossing normally
I brush pretty much as soon as I get up and right before I go to bed.
I remember reading you shouldn't do it immediately after breakfast due to acids etc increasing the risk of damaging you teeth with the fairly rough brush.
Something like 40 minutes after breakfast would be ideal. I tend to do it maybe 10-20 minutes after bc i have to get ready π€·
Or you could brush your teeth at work and get paid at the same time π
Brush before bed to keep your teeth, brush after breakfast to keep your friends
I brush after breakfast in the morning, and before bed. I know you're supposed to do it before breakfast, but I can't enjoy food with the disgusting taste of toothpaste in my mouth.
I actually find it more enjoyable to have breakfast after my mouth is refreshed. I wouldnβt enjoy eating with the taste of old mouth juice all over my tongue
That's why I brush my teeth first, then shower, then have breakfast. The time I need to shower and prepare breakfast is enough for my mouth to return to normal.
There are plenty of studies suggesting that people are actually brushing too much. Kinda like with shampoo... we strip our surfaces from healthy bacteria and oils and it creates a vicious cycle.
On the other side, many foods we eat today are not healthy for our mouth environment, so I still believe there has to be a certain degree of brushing, of course. So, simply put... you should adjust to your use case. Learn when you feel your mouth needs some brushing or not, and move on.
Could you link some of those studies? I'd be interested to read more about that
Every time you finish a meal
Iβve always heard that but also been told to wait for some time after eating before brushing to not hurt your enamel? Not sure how true that is
Yup, that's what my dentist recommends. If you do that, just make sure you have a toothbrush and toothpaste which doesn't hurt your teeth :)
This would be ideal, but some people work jobs where it's not feasible.
Before bed and before breakfast. Bacteria grow in your mouth during your sleep, so it's best to keep them low when you start sleeping, and kill them again before you swallow them with breakfast.
Morning after breakfast and at night before bed.
Following the advice of my dentist, in the morning after finishing my coffee and in the evening before bed.
Before bed 99% of the time. If I'm leaving the house then I'll brush before I do.
I think ideally you'd brush your teeth after every meal, but that would require having a toothbrush with you at all times and I'm too lazy for that. Brushing twice a day is good enough; once around 10-15 minutes after eating breakfast/ the first meal of the day and right before bed.
I brush before eating. I cannot stand the taste of morning breath
I brush in the morning, and rinse or floss after I eat anything. I brush when I get home from work, after supper, and before I go to bed.
I used to just brush in the morning and at night, and have a partial to show for it
I used to just brush in the morning and at night, and have a partial to show for it
that's crazy, do you have some condition like acid reflux or a particular issue with your saliva?
twice a day is like THE golden standard everyone learns and is told by dentists.
Build up of bacteria at night means that if you eat in the morning before brushing there will be more bacteria to break down the food into acid which will break down your teeth.
Ideal is to brush first but also brush after each meal*
*as long as the acidity in your mouth is 5.5pH or less your teeth are being broken down by the acid (which means that brushing would be scrubing them with acid and making it worse) in which case you should wait until your spit (which is a buffer solution) returns your pH to normal. Since most foods are acidic the recommendation is to wait 30 mnutes after eating and then brush. Or you can eat suger free gum right after a meal, this will trick your brain to produce more spit which will return the normal pH faster.
My personal system is like so:
Wake up
Use dental jet floss (water floss)
Brush teeth
After any foods eaten chew gum for 10-30 minutes
Floss
Dental jet (if at home)
If I'm at home and have 30 minutes to wait between mouthwash and brushing then I use mouthwash, wait 30 min then brush, if not then just brushing and if I'm not at home then just mouthwash.
Repeat for as many things as I eat that day.
Before bed:
Floss
Dental jet
Mouthwash
Wait 30 min
Brush
Just before bed, yep. I usually eat breakfast at work, so I brush before leaving, after my morning coffees.
Bro its not just about the 6 hours, There will be much less saliva and other secretions from your mouth when you sleep. Actually saliva slows down bacteria growth, thats why your breath smells after you wake up
Most people will say its generally after you eat but I personally believe it should be before and after you sleep (including naps). I noticed that after naps my mouth feels very weird and things taste different but brushing my teeth stops that. Cavities mainly form while you sleep not while you are awake so going about your normal day with dirty teeth isn't going to harm you even though its a bit gross.
At night before bed, 4 minutes. After flossing them.
I just drink water in the morning, coffee later, and you aren't supposed to brush right after eating or drinking so I've not found another convenient time.
If I could remember to do it, I'm sure after lunch would be ideal, I just can't reliably remember to.
As far as I know, getting cavities is a lot about genetics. I floss and brush after dinner and breakfast and don't overthink it and I've been fine for many decades now.
It depends on the day for me, but usually it's once a day at night because I synchronize it with my showering frequency. If I do it twice in a day, the first time is after breakfast unless I skip breakfast.
I brush a while after eating. My roomie brushes before breakfast and before bead.
I usually do after breakfast and/or before I leave the house (if later in the day). I've read advice though to brush first thing in the morning BEFORE breakfast because it will protect your teeth from acids in your food, coffee, etc. I'd love to know if that's the best way.
But then you walk around with breakfast breath all day?
After breakfast and/if going out and then before bed.
Apparently Iβm disgusting because I only brush and floss at night. I wish I was the sort of person who brushed after every meal but I just canβt be bothered. I havenβt had a cavity in years though, so I guess it works for me.
I, too, am lazy. I brush at nights only, because lazy. I go to the dentist every 12 months and theyβre always stoked at how my teeth and gums look. Maybe itβs genetics.
After showering.
After breakfast I would think. Any other time would be rather inconvenient.
First thing after I wake up, very thoroughly with a soft toothbrush. I can't start my day with gross mouth. Definitely never right after coffee (though I understand the impulse). I never seem to get around to it at night. My dentist seems satisfied. If I leave the house in the evening, I brush before I go out.