Do you brush your teeth before or after breakfast?

[soapylaces]

I do it as soon as I wake up but DH thinks that's weird and will only brush after he's eaten.

Who is BU?

I’m a dental hygienist. You should brush before eating breakfast, and spit the toothpaste out. Then wait for about ten minutes before eating or drinking. That way you minimise the amount of bacteria in your mouth before eating, get the protection from the fluoride in the toothpaste and minimise the risk of tooth wear from erosion/abrasion

@CeaselessWatcher dentists are such Cunts aren't they, for following an evidence based approach to avoid disease. I mean, I used
To LOVE seeing patients with decay everywhere, so empowering.

@WhatAShilohPitt

My dentist advised me to brush either before eating or at least 30 minutes after as otherwise the teeth are more vulnerable to brushing due to the acid attack (it was explained more scientifically than I have done). So I do either of those two things.

Yes, this is what I do too. I usually brush after breakfast but if I’m eating fruit, drinking fruit juice or eating chocolate I’d do it before or wait 30 mins. (Not that I eat chocolate for breakfast but this applies to the evening!).

As soon as i get up, sometimes again after breakfast but not usually.

And don’t rinse the toothpaste!

I've got fixed braces so at the moment approximately 75% of my day is spent brushing my teeth

I brush mine with no toothpaste as soon as I wake up, just to get the gak off my teeth and then I scrape my tongue.

Then I give them a proper brush and floss after breakfast (and marvel Every Single Day at how much of my breakfast got left in my braces. It's a wonder I've not lost weight!)

I do both too

After breakfast. What's the point in brushing them and then getting them dirty again?!

Before

Before. Otherwise I forget completely, so even though I was told as a kid to do it after, it seemed the lesser of two evils to actually remember to clean them. Now it seems I stumbled onto a good thing 😁 me with gleaming teeth.

After

Before. Sometimes I go out before breakfast and would not want to subject other people to my morning breath!

As soon as I get up. My dentist advised this several years ago, for the reasons listed upthread. I usually give them a quick freshen up before leaving for work, but if I am time limited, I use a decent mouthwash.

I doubt there is a material difference between the two tbh.

Almost all mouthwashes are "cosmetic" so you might as seek not bother. There are some that achieve a pharmaceutical aim.

@lazylinguist

I have heard all this stuff about dentists recommendations, but it just seems arse about tit to me.

Yep. Those dentists eh - what the hell do they know about teeth brushing?! You'd better tell them they've got it arse about tit!

I was kind of joking, in a self deprecating way, but I guess that doesn’t come across in text form 😃

After! I had no idea that people brushed their teeth before breakfast actually! Only exception would be if I ate breakfast on the way to work, but I'd feel pretty gross and make sure I have breath mints etc.

For people waahing twice, my dentists throughout the years kept telling me not to go ott because the scrubbing isn't good for the enamel as well. Twice is kind of a max apparently

If I'm working from home, after - I prefer this, because my teeth feel cleaner and not breakfast-y.

If I'm going into the office, I do them before I set off (obviously) and then I don't eat until I'm at work, so before - there's a good hour and a half between brushing and breakfast so I don't get the minty horribleness while trying to eat!

First thing. I don’t eat till well gone 2pm.

I used to brush as soon as I woke up.

Now I have Invisalign and it's such a faff that I eat first.

Really boring response, sorry.

DH is a dentist and brushes after breakfast so that's how I do it aha

An hour after eating (in this case, my breakfast). And I floss and brush after every meal, including lunch. I sometimes chew gum directly after eating, to counter an acid attack, and then brush a bit later. And I have smashing teeth, if I do say so myself.

So I wake up, have a rinse because yuck, then tea, coffee and breakfast, then lots of water to drink, and then brush.

@Mrsmorton

Almost all mouthwashes are "cosmetic" so you might as seek not bother. There are some that achieve a pharmaceutical aim.

I use Fluoriguard. But not directly after brushing as it’s sort of pointless then.

Not mentioned, I don't think, but my dentist advises that you should never rinse your teeth after brushing either. It undoes all the good the fluoride is doing for your teeth.