4 ms·
I remember hearing a long time ago that brushing before eating is better. Sugar reacts with plaque to form acids and brushing temporarily removes plaque. So eat
by raspyberr 5y ago
I remember hearing a long time ago that brushing before eating is better. Sugar reacts with plaque to form acids and brushing temporarily removes plaque. So eating straight after brushing doesn't really do anything.
- aeternum 5y agoI've heard this also but it doesn't make much sense to me. If you brush after you eat, wouldn't it remove the plaque, sugar, and any possible acid? Any plaque that remains will have little to nothing to eat. If you brush before eating, there will still be some plaque left and once you eat there should be copious amounts of sugar and food for it to snack on and quickly multiply + produce acid.
- riezebos 5y agoThe way I understood it the acids in the food make the enamel softer. Brushing while the enamel is softened can result in brushing away the outermost layer of enamel. Waiting until 45-60 minutes supposedly allows the saliva to normalize the pH level so that the enamel is at full strength again.
- ryan_lane 5y agoBrushing after you eat is not recommended because you're a lot more likely to damage your enamel that way, especially if you've eaten anything acidic. Acidic foods temporarily weaken your enamel to the point that even light brushing can damage it.