What is better: brushing your teeth before or after breakfast?

It seems very logical to brush your teeth after breakfast: you still have some leftovers between your teeth, and you want to leave your home with a fresh breath. However, this does not appear to be the right way to proceed. I presume that most people reading this will be thinking, brushing your teeth after having breakfast is better. But there are two reasons why this is not the case.

First, some experts claim that brushing before having breakfast is more beneficial for your tooth enamel and oral hygiene. The sugars and acids in your breakfast, for example from fruits, can damage your tooth's gallic acid, particularly if you brush your teeth afterwards. Furthermore, brushing your teeth immediately after eating is essentially like scrubbing a detergent on your enamel.

Secondly, as you sleep, bacteria start to multiply in your mouth overnight. This wakes you up with a morning breath. If you instantly 'kill' these bacteria after waking up, you protect your tooth enamel against high levels of acid, which might be in your breakfast.

However, if you do decide to brush your teeth after breakfast, then make sure you leave at least 30 to 60 minutes before you brush your teeth. This allows some time for the acids and tooth enamel in your mouth to settle and recover so that your teeth are ready to be brushed. To speed up this process, you can drink some water as well. Furthermore, you can use mouthwash if you shortly need to leave after having breakfast. This will give you a fresh breath, but it will not damage your tooth enamel.

In short, if you want to protect your tooth enamel, brushing immediately after waking up in the morning is better than brushing after breakfast. But remember, essentially either is fine, if you brush your teeth. 

Author: Liza van Vugt