When Should You Brush Your Teeth: Before Or After Breakfast?

It’s an age old debate: when should you really brush your teeth in the morning? The pro-before breakfast crowd will argue that it should be the first thing you do. However, those who think you should brush after say that there’s nothing worse than toothpaste-y orange juice in the morning. So who’s in the right here?

The answer is this: toothpaste contains sodium laureth sulfate, which is what helps the paste become foamy and helps reach different areas of your teeth.

The downside is that it also suppresses the taste buds’ sweet flavor reception while also breaking down fatty molecules that block bitter flavors. Unfortunately, while it does affect the flavor of your breakfast, it is best to brush your teeth before you have breakfast.

The reason why you should brush your teeth before breakfast is that you want to start out the environment in your mouth as clean as possible before adding in new foods and drinks, as they could potentially upset your gums and enamel.

As we sleep, bacteria in the mouth spend their time multiplying rapidly, which is also what causes morning breath. Brushing with a fluoride toothpaste will help rid your mouth of unwanted bacteria and coat your teeth with a layer of protection to help keep your enamel intact. Modern day diets tend to erode enamel, so this is very important.

Don’t panic if you’ve already eaten and have not yet brushed your teeth. Regular brushing is important to have optimal oral health. You should still brush your teeth after breakfast, but try to wait in between eating and brushing. The acid in food can break down enamel temporarily, meaning you might brush away good along with bad.

It’s better to wash your mouth with plain water right after eating and then waiting between 30 to 60 minutes before brushing your teeth. If you ate something particularly acidic, it’s best to brush about an hour after eating.