Brushing your teeth well is essential to maintaining healthy teeth. Oral hygiene is essential to maintain on a daily basis and you should even brush your teeth twice a day, at least. But in some cases it can be harmful. Explanations.
Brushing your teeth is a ritual that is essential to observe, two to three times a day. But did you know that at certain times and just after eating certain foods, brushing is not recommended? This is what Dr Shaadi Manouchehri, English dentist, director of the Smart Dental Aesthetics clinic and director of the London School of Facial Esthetics, recalls in a video.
Beware of acidic foods
The specialist recommends paying particular attention to acidic foods, such as dairy products, red meats, citrus fruits, etc. When consuming this type of product, “the bacteria on your teeth metabolize (the sugars) and turn them into acids (….) So, if you brush your teeth immediately, you are rubbing acid on your teeth, which can damage them. Your teeth are minerals and an acid could literally dissolve them” she warns.
Brushing is also not recommended after sweets
Sodas, sweets, cakes… In case of consumption of sugary products it is obviously not recommended for oral health. We might tend to want to brush our teeth immediately after consuming it, so as not to let the sugar cause cavities. Big mistake, according to the expert: “The sugar is metabolized by bacteria on the teeth, which then creates an acid. When we eat sweets, the bacteria on our teeth also feed on these sweets“.
Brush your teeth thirty minutes or an hour later
The tip that the dentist recommends is therefore not to brush your teeth immediately after a meal, but to wait between thirty minutes and an hour, then go to the bathroom. And this, so that “the acidity of the mouth is neutralized naturally” and that “may take about 30 to 60 minutes for saliva pads to work“.
But in the morning, observing this time constraint is not possible for everyone. To speed up the process, you can chew sugar-free gum or drink plenty of water. And for those in a hurry to find fresh breath, it is always possible to make a mouthwash, while waiting to use your toothbrush.
