Never Brush Your Teeth After Eating These Foods - Facts Analysis

Story:

Never brush your teeth straight after a meal as it can damage your teeth, especially if you’ve had fruit, fizzy drinks, wine or any other food that contains acid.

This is because tooth enamel is softened by the acid and can be worn by brushing. Instead, wait an hour after meal before brushing your teeth to give your saliva chance to neutralize the acid.

Other Versions

Never brush your teeth after eating sweets, chocolates or drinking fruit juice, this can cause you to wear away at your tooth’s enamel.

Picture: Never Brush Your Teeth After Eating These Foods — Never Brush Your Teeth After Eating These Foods

Analysis:

Circulating messages suggest people not to brush their teeth immediately after eating certain foods, as it can damage the enamel of their teeth. Yes, it is a fact.

The messages actually refer to sugary and acidic foods and drinks like chocolates, acidic fruits and fizzy drinks, because in these cases, the sugars present in the food feed bacteria in your mouth, and along with those acids weaken and soften your gums and the enamel of your teeth temporarily. So when you brush your teeth straightaway after eating such foods, it can brush away the enamel of your teeth and minerals that protect your gums and teeth.

To avoid this danger, after you eat such food stuffs, it is better to swish your mouth with water, wait for about 30 minutes and then brush your teeth. Because at this point, the softening of your teeth shall be reversed by itself naturally, with the help of the saliva in your mouth. To a related question as to when to brush teeth, the same is suggested in Mayo Clinic website:

In choosing when to brush your teeth, you might also consider your diet. If you’ve eaten an acidic food or drink, avoid brushing your teeth for at least 30 minutes. These acids weaken tooth enamel, and brushing too soon can remove enamel. If you know you’re going to eat or drink something acidic, brush your teeth beforehand.

Mentioned below are some tips to keep your teeth clean and maintain a good dental hygiene:

If you are going to have citrus juices or other fizzy drinks, use a straw to keep the liquids away from your teeth.
Make sure to chew your food thoroughly, because proper chewing shall increase the flow of saliva in your mouth and this will benefit your teeth as well.
If you are eating some dried fruits like dates, raisins and other sticky fruits, you should really brush your teeth immediately.
Flossing your teeth daily is a good habit, even right after you eat something.
Make sure you do not brush your teeth hard and use a soft bristled brush.