Why it is bad to brush your teeth immediately after meals

The truth is that, since we were little, we had always been told that we had to brush our teeth after eating, to prevent them from biting us and finally appearing the dreaded cavities. And, evidently, we should always do it, eat what we ate, although above all when it came to food or drinks with excess sugar. However, it seems that this action would not be entirely appropriate.

Apparently, just wash our teeth immediately after having eaten foods or drinks rich in sugars or acids would be not only wrong, but even counterproductive to the health of our teeth.

The reason is quite simple: during brushing the acids and sugars tend to expand, so that we do not let enamel recover. In fact, the brushing could eliminate the enamel weakened by the acid, since it will penetrate much more deeply into the structure of the tooth.

According to some research carried out in the United States, it would be best to postpone brushing at half an hour when we consume a more or less high amount of foods and drinks rich in sugar or very acidic. A simple example are drinks such as orange juice, lemon or grapefruit, sugary drinks such as soft drinks, sweets or cakes and sweets.

Even many specialists advise to always wash your teeth after half an hour after eating, because the pH of our mouth decreases, taking a while to return to normal. As a result, if we brush our teeth after having eaten this process it intensifies, given that we spread the acid all over the mouth and also push it against the teeth.

During that half hour the saliva of our mouth helps the level of acidity to decrease, hence it is better to wait a bit before brushing our teeth. The most advisable thing, meanwhile, is to rinse your mouth with water or a mouthwash.

Image | Phil and Pam This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor.

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