What’s Best? Brushing Before or After Breakfast

Everyone has different morning routines and brushing preferences. While most people seem to prefer brushing after breakfast, there are a lot of factors that go into this decision such as whether or not you eat breakfast and how much time you have to get out the door in the morning. The American Dental Association recommends brushing before breakfast. Let’s take a deeper look into this recommendation. Why brush at all?

• Brushing ensures that food particles and other debris that stick to your teeth are cleaned away so they cannot collect bacteria that causes cavities.

Why brush before breakfast?

• Bacteria builds up on your teeth while you sleep, even if you brush before bed.
• Saliva is an important tool that our bodies use to “wash” away bacteria throughout the day. Less saliva is produced while you sleep, allowing more bacteria to collect at night. Brushing your teeth right when you wake up helps to clean out built-up bacteria.
• Brushing right away can help with the dreaded morning breath.
• Brushing right away creates a protective layer over your enamel before you eat.
• Brushing too soon after you eat acidic foods and beverages can actually cause damage to your enamel. If you don’t have time to wait before you leave for the day, brushing before breakfast is best.

Brushing after you eat:

• If you opt to brush after you eat, wait at least 60 min after eating to brush to give your saliva a chance to do its job, naturally removing any substances stuck on your teeth, neutralizing acidic substances, and re-mineralizing the enamel.
• Cleans away food and drink particles from breakfast.
• Brushing your teeth before eating may cause some foods, like orange juice, to taste differently. Brushing after you eat eliminates this.

When and how to brush:

• Brushing twice a day, morning and night, is the general recommendation for brushing your teeth.
• It is possible to brush too hard and too often causing irritation to your gums and damage to your teeth, such as gum recession and tooth sensitivity.
• Brush for two minutes each time.
• Brushing before bed provides a protective layer over your enamel to help combat bacteria while you sleep and washes away any leftover particles that you accumulated through the day.
• Be sure to floss so you can get into those hard-to-reach places.
• For most, a soft-bristle brush is recommended. Be sure that your toothbrush fits well in all areas of your mouth.
• To avoid overbrushing, you can swish water after you eat a meal to help clear out debris.