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Home About Us Dental Blog Reason for Waiting to Brush After Eating

Reason for Waiting to Brush After Eating


Posted on 8/20/2019 by Thomas Mahar
Reason for Waiting to Brush After EatingWhen you are young, you are often taught to brush your teeth after eating. Your parents may have sent you straight to the bathroom to brush your teeth immediately after eating. There are some reasons that parents may have for teaching this, but there are also reasons that this is not the best idea. Instead of brushing immediately after eating, it is often better to wait before brushing.

Why You Would Brush Right Away

A common habit of brushing is to brush when you wake up in the morning and when you go to bed at night. Some think that they need to brush after they eat to remove any debris that is left on their teeth from eating. They do it out of habit, not always out of need. The need to brush right away will depend on what you ate.

It is a good idea to brush your teeth after eating foods that are high in sugars or carbohydrates. These can feed the bacteria in the mouth and can latch on to the teeth and gums. Brushing is the best way to protect the teeth from this.

What Waiting Offers
One of the problems with brushing your teeth right away is the way that some foods interact with the teeth. The enamel of the teeth protects them from decay and other health issues. If you brush right after eating foods that are high in acid, you could actually speed up the erosion of the enamel. It is better to wait for 30 minutes before brushing after eating these types of food.

There are alternatives to brushing right after eating. Drinking water is a good way to stop the effects of acidic foods. It can also help remove debris left on your teeth and gums. Rinsing your mouth with water or an antibacterial mouthwash could provide more benefits than brushing right away. Combining all these things is a good way to maintain your oral health.

For more information about this or any other oral health issue, contact our office to schedule an appointment.


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