When Should You Brush?

Topics

• Bad Breath
• Gum Disease
• Tooth Decay
• Fluoride – Good or Bad?
• Gums and Dis - ease
• Cleaning Your Tongue
• When Should You Brush?
• How do whitening toothpastes work, and how effective are they?
• Children's Oral Health
• Filling Cavities

Are there any best times to brush your teeth? Are there any occasions when you SHOULDN’T brush?

Most dentists recommend brushing your teeth before going to bed – this helps remove the remaining food particles from dinner, and reduced the amount of bacteria in the mouth during sleep.

Most people of course brush as soon as they get up in the morning, which helps to make the mouth feel fresh again. However, it would be wiser to wait until after breakfast, so all that food debris would be brushed away as well.

The general rule of thumb is this: Brush your teeth as soon as possible after eating. The bacteria and acids food produces can attack the enamel for up to 20 minutes after you finish your meal.

However, there is a time when you should WAIT about a half hour before brushing. If you’ve just drank some acidic fruit juice (such as orange or grapefruit juice) then brushing immediately after will actually cause more damage to the tooth enamel. The acids in these juices weakens the enamel, and brushing only drives the acid further into the teeth.

If you’re on the go, why not consider a travel toothbrush? The SoFresh® Travel Flossing Toothbrush is your perfect oral hygiene pocket companion.