When do you brush your teeth?

[RubyGemStone]

Having much debate today on tooth brushing, want to get a general consensus to settle some at home arguments.

How often do you brush your teeth?
Do you floss/Mouth Wash/brush your tongue every time?

Most importantly, WHEN? As in, whats your routine? For example, after breakfast and right before you go to bed or as you wake up then in the evening but still eat/drink after.

During the week I brush first thing in the morning and then eat at some point afterwards. At weekends I will eat breakfast and then brush teeth some time afterwards. Brush them again just before bed.

You shouldn't use mouthwash after brushing as you are washing away the fluoride you've just brushed onto your teeth. If you use it then it's best done between meals.

As soon on as I get up, brush (electric) then mouthwash (I don't eat breakfast but have brunch at about 11.30am) then just before I go to bed. If going out in the evening I'll brush before then too.
Floss..erm....but I do brush my tongue every time.

Both morning and evening- brush with electric toothbrush, including brushing tongue, then use several different TePe brushes, then a single tuft brush with Gingigel

Brush and tongue clean after breakfast and the same last thing before going to bed.

Try to brush before breakfast when I remember. If not, after, but I try to leave it a while so not immediately after eating.

Evening mouthwash then brush teeth and floss most evenings.

98% of mouthwashes are classed as cosmetics because there is no proper evidence that they are clinically useful.

The few that are useful should only be used on a dentists advice , the ones containing chlorhexidine are mostly for short term use only .

If you really want to use mouthwash then leave at least two hours between brushing and using mouthwash this is because
a you are washing away the useful fluoride from the toothpaste
b the ingredients in mouthwash and toothpaste interact with each other

More useful is to spend two minutes brushing your teeth and gums (gums need as much brushing as teeth) and use floss, interdental brushes or both every day . Plaque just needs 24 hours undisturbed before it starts to turn into tartar which is hard and can only be removed by scaling.

Dont brush immediately after being sick , or after drinking something acidic like eg orange juice , fruit teas, hot water and lemon as you are brushing the acid into the enamel and damaging it.

Don't use whitening or smokers toothpastes , they are abrasive and rub enamel as well as stain off. No toothpaste whitens teeth as they are not , legally , allowed to contain a sufficient percentage of whitening agent.

Don't bother with the latest , expensive "fad" toothpaste that's cures gum disease or rebuilds enamel etc they don't . So long as it has sufficient fluoride it will do the job. The exception is hydroxyapatite toothpastes which evidence shows do as good a job as dentist prescribed high fluoride toothpastes.

Out of curiosity, those of you who use mouthwash before brushing - don't you rinse your mouth (with water) after brushing?

Just thinking that would wash the toothpaste off your teeth too.

You shouldn't rinse after brushing
spit, don't rinse

there should be a two hour , at least, break between using mouthwash and toothpaste as they also interact with each other.

It really must, like a pp said, be dependent on the type of mouthwash and toothpaste you use, and maybe if you have pre-existing tooth/gum issues?

My dentist advised me to floss, brush (including tongue), rinse, mouthwash in that order. Then apply any topical treatments (in my case Sensodyne) and leave it on.

Chlorhexidine containing mouthwashes are what most dentists prescribe and they should not be used at the same time as toothpaste see advice here https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/chlorhexidine/#:~:text=Use%20your%20dental%20treatment%20at,5%20minutes%20before%20using%20chlorhexidine. To save you reading here is what it says.

Use your dental treatment at a different time of day to when you brush your teeth. This is because toothpaste can stop chlorhexidine working properly.
If you cannot use it at a different time, then rinse your mouth thoroughly with water after brushing your teeth. Wait at least 5 minutes before using chlorhexidine.

the only other mouthwash advised is fluoride mouthwash and it is pointless using it at the same time as a toothpaste , it is used inbetween tooth brushing.

Brushing before breakfast is so weird. Doesn't your breakfast taste all minty? Much better to brush after and then leave the house with fresh, clean teeth.

Brushing before breakfast means you have reduced the amount of bacteria that can use what's in your breakfast to attack your teeth.
Brushing after means that eg if you've had orange juice or anything acidic the acid is brushed into your teeth damaging them

Wake up have breakfast and coffee first then clean my teeth. Then before I go to bed but use mouthwash too. If I have a drink after that it has to be water only

That makes sense @Lollygaggle - if it's a prescription type mouthwash. Mine's just a bog standard supermarket shelf jobbie that doesn't have chloro wotsit in it. Not exactly dentist approved or prescribed but he didn't have a problem when I told him what mouthwash I used - that was when he said floss (to get the bits out of your teeth), brush (to remove the buildup of food and prevent it hardening into plaque), rinse (to flush all those bits and spit them out), mouthwash as final rinse (as antibacterial/preventative).

Interestingly, because I have sensitive teeth he told me if I drink fruit juice that I should brush my teeth afterwards to prevent the acid sitting on my teeth.

God, @RubyGemStone sorry for derailing your thread. I really should have started my own. I'll slink away quietly now

(edited as I tagged the wrong person)

No you really shouldn't brush your teeth after as you are brushing the acid into the tooth https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/did-you-know-health/you-shouldnt-brush-your-teeth-after-drinking-fruit-juice

you really do not need mouthwash as it will rinse all the fluoride off your teeth and you should spit , not rinse , after brushing to allow the fluoride to sit on your teeth https://oralhealthsupport.ucsf.edu/news/dont-rinse-after-brushing-and-other-tips-better-dental-health#:~:text=Spit%2C%20don't%20rinse&text=Don't%20eat%20or%20drink,re%20washing%20away%20the%20fluoride!

your mouthwash is completely pointless and using it as you are is doing more harm than good . https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-teeth-and-gums/how-to-keep-your-teeth-clean/

I use the tung gel and brush too, game changer instead of using my toothbrush to do my tongue!

Yet I've had 2 fillings in the same tooth in the last year, my dad brushes once a day, rinses it all out with water, never flossed and doesn't have a filling unfair

But what does he eat and drink? If you are having sugary drinks and food or starchy food frequently throughout the day you can brush 27 times a day but you will still get decay.

In the am just before I leave for work, to get rid of breakfast stuff, and again before bed to be fresh for sleep
Floss and brush both time, mouthwash morning only

I brush last thing before bed. I always do a much better job at night so I waterfloss ( with 70/30 water/ mouthwash, then an interdental pick then an electric toothbrush for a good two minutes. If I just brush mouth feels fuzzy in the morning. That said I just brush in the morning, I only have a coffee for breakfast so no food to dig out.

Thanks again @Lollygaggle. I'm going to raise those points with my (NHS) dentist as what you've linked to is the complete opposite of what he (my NHS dentist) advises.

I brush teeth first thing in the morning with electric toothbrush. I brush again before bed and use an interdental brush. That's it. No tongue brushing, no mouthwash.

First thing.
After lunch.
Last thing at night.

Brush after breakfast and before bed, once a week i do an oral routine using dental tools to scrape and floss. Xx

Don't do a tongue brush?

Before leaving for work, before bed, ideally after eating anything sticky/smelly, and again if someone like a hairdresser is going to be in close proximity.