better to brush childs teeth when they get up or after breakfast?

[poi]

currently do it after breakfast

I was under the impression that you brush your teeth after consuming food. My kids brush their teeth after breakfast and before bedtime. Lunchtime....no chance

I read recently that you shouldn't do it too soon after eating cos the food has softened the enamel and then brushing will damgage it or something like that.

theres probably a british dental association website

I was told by a dentist to wait an hour after eating otherwise you are just moving the sugars around the teeth

after eating, thought that was obvious

i always do ds's after breakfast.

no point doing it then eating

I wish I could get my ds to even let me clean his. He is 10 mths and won't le me near him with a toothbrush.

teabags, its frustating but keep trying. Mine went from hating to finding it brilliant fun within 2 days and now picks up the brush and has a go at clenaing herself of her own accord several times a day

when they get up.

also, don't try and force him to have them done because that;'ll put him off even more

ds really likes it if I lay him on the floor and do aeroplane impression with the toothbrush ,
i then do a quick brush and take it away... then repeat.. he gets all excited and starts wanting it in his mouth! lol

also, tons and tons and tons of praise when he lets me do it

thanks everyone. He let me clean them today using my toothbrush! Seems to have an aversion to his!

I don't know how old your child is , my dd is three and someone bought her a battery operated toothbrush for her third Birthday and it's brill and she loves using it. I would recommend one of these.

I read somewhere that if you brush teeth before the meal then you remove the plaque that cause the decay, so then the sugars don't do any damage; the bacteria start damaging the teeth straight away, even during the meal, otherwise. So it can make sense to brush teeth before a meal.
But must admit I struggle to get it done at all.

Regardless of whether you brush before a meal the sugars will start their attack as soon as you put food in your mouth. This will continue to happen for 20 minutes after the last mouthful has been eaten. Brushing should be done as soon as possible after meals (adults and children). Doesn't make any difference leaving it, you are just giving the bacteria longer to do their harmful job.

You do not need plaque in the mouth to encourage bacteria to breed & cause problems. The plaque, after the sugar attack will soit around the teeth and will just be causing gum problems. (in alot of cases, irreversable)

we do it after

Do it after. The food particles contain the sugars that the bacteria in your mouth feed off. As a by product they produce acid which demineralises the enamel of your teeth causing cavities. Your saliva neutralises the acid (taking about 20 mins to do so). Cleaning soon after eating minimises this acid attack.

One exception is when you have had acidic foods (eg OJ or grapefruit) as these do slightly demineralise the enamel and brushing straight awway can be damaging.

My sister is a dental hygienist and told me that teeth should always be brushed before a meal and don't rinse the mouth out with water - just spit out the excess toothpaste. The flouride in the toothpaste sort of coats the teeth and offers more protection. She said do not, under any circumstances, brush straight after eating.

Guess we will have to agree to disagree on this on MamaG

I hedge my bets I do mine when I get up and the kids after breakfast before we leave for school

...or we could brush before AND after CHIC!