If you brush your teeth after breakfast as part of your morning ritual, experts caution that you may be putting your oral health at risk.
According to surveys, at least 40% of people clean their teeth after eating breakfast, which is a bad habit, according to dentists.
Medics advise brushing your teeth before the first meal of the day to protect your oral health.
A group of dentists from the Belfast Clinic Paste Dental and the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry claim that brushing your teeth has a number of advantages, such as protecting them from bacteria, maintaining fresh breath, and enhancing food flavours.
Additionally, scientists claim that brushing teeth first thing in the morning helps the body fight off bacteria that builds up in the mouth while a person is sleeping at night.
They claim that bacteria are the origin of the plaque that coats teeth and begins to eat away at the enamel, causing tooth decay and cavities.
“Brushing teeth prior to having breakfast helps to remove plaque build-up from your teeth. It also activates the secretion of saliva, which assists in killing harmful bacteria in the mouth,” the experts say.
Preventing tooth enamel wear and sensitivity
Alan Clarke, the lead dentist, claims that bacteria in the mouth break down a person’s food consumption to make acid.
Therefore, when a person consumes coffee, fruit juice, or breakfast, the bacteria are able to get enough sugar to produce acid, which then damages the enamel coating on the teeth.
“Brushing your teeth before breakfast helps to remove the acidic environment and bacteria that can cause harm to the tooth enamel,” he adds.
He points out that if someone brushes their teeth right away after drinking orange juice for breakfast, for example, what actually happens is that they are flossing and cleaning the bacteria and acid from the orange juice between the teeth.
In a similar vein, specialists suggest delaying brushing for at least 30 minutes after breakfast to prevent dental sensitivity and wear brought on by the acid, which could damage teeth enamel.
“Brushing too soon after consuming breakfast such as coffee and orange juice can intensify damage to the teeth enamel because at that time it is too vulnerable and weak,” the experts opine.
Enhance food flavours
In most cases, the taste is affected when you eat fruit or even some foods shortly after brushing.
However, experts say that brushing your teeth before breakfast may actually improve the flavour of the meal.
According to the experts, brushing helps to remove bacteria and flavors that might stay in the mouth and alter the taste of breakfast.
However, a section of medics hold a different view and are of the opinion that brushing beforehand can interfere with the taste receptors.
This, they explain, is due to the presence of foaming agents (surfactants) found in toothpaste, which suppress the taste buds.
Colgate’s team of experts explains that surfactants suppress taste receptors, which convey palatable flavours in food.
Additionally, the compounds may heighten the bitter flavour, intensifying the sour flavour of foods and beverages like orange juice.
Drinks like orange juice that combine bitter and sweet flavours are distorted by surfactants.
What causes the morning odour?
The majority of people wouldn’t feel very confident speaking in front of others right after waking up and before brushing their teeth. To put it mildly, morning breath can be humiliating.
Bacterial buildup in the mouth over the course of the night is the cause of the bad breath. Experts assert that when someone is sleeping at night, saliva production slows down, leaving the mouth dry.
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Due to a buildup of germs in the mouth and a decrease in saliva, which is responsible for washing away particles that create odour, breath becomes less pleasant.
“Brushing your teeth before breakfast will assist in getting rid of foul breath brought on by mouth germs.”
“This is important, particularly if you have plans to interact with people early in the morning. It will be a relief to your partner as well.”
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