Why It’s Better Not to Brush Your Teeth After Breakfast

There’s no doubt that brushing your teeth is one of the most important steps in your oral hygiene routine. But doing it at the wrong time might, in some cases, sabotage all your efforts to keep your pearly whites healthy and strong. While it might feel tempting to refresh your breath right after breakfast, it’s better to brush your teeth first thing in the morning, because many common breakfast foods might soften your enamel, causing you to unintentionally damage it.

Here at Bright Side, we know that some people prefer to brush their teeth before breakfast while others do it right after eating. And we decided to find out what might happen if you brush immediately after having your breakfast.

1. It might damage your enamel.

Brushing your teeth after you eat helps fight bacteria and protects your enamel from damage, but in some cases, it can work the other way around. When you eat or drink something acidic, like orange juice, grapefruit juice, or lemon water, the citric acid in these foods can temporarily soften tooth enamel, and brushing immediately after eating can weaken the enamel.

If you like having a glass of orange juice or adding a slice of lemon into your water for breakfast, it’s better to not brush your teeth for about 30 minutes afterward to avoid damaging the enamel. And if you don’t have much time in the morning, it makes more sense to brush your teeth before breakfast.

2. It may affect the color of your teeth.

Your enamel protects your teeth, and although it’s the hardest tissue in the human body, brushing right after you eat can in some cases damage it. When the enamel isn’t as strong as it’s supposed to be, it can affect your teeth in many ways and make them more vulnerable to staining.

3. It might make your teeth more sensitive.

If you’ve ever felt a sudden sharp pain when you consume something hot or cold, this might be a sign that your teeth are overly sensitive. Tooth sensitivity can happen for various reasons, and one of them is weak tooth enamel. Because brushing your teeth immediately after eating certain foods can increase tooth sensitivity, it’s better to prevent this unpleasant side effect and brush your teeth before eating.

4. Brushing before you eat increases your saliva production.

Brushing your teeth right after you wake up helps you feel more refreshed in the morning and also jump-starts your saliva production. Because your saliva contains antimicrobial agents, it helps break down food more easily and naturally kills the harmful bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay.

Do you brush your teeth before or after breakfast?