Are you one of those people who have to brush the moment you stop eating? If so, then you need to stop yourself. You need to give your mouth time to clean itself before you go through the process of brushing it out.

The way that your mouth cleans itself out is by adding a bunch of saliva to your mouth immediately after eating. If you brush before this can happen, you are taking a restorative opportunity away from your mouth, which could end up harming your overall oral health.

What Your Mouth Does Following a Meal

When you are done eating, your mouth flushes everything out of it. Your mouth gets rinsed in a cascade of saliva, which pushes food particles out of hard to reach areas, and neutralizes anything acidic or basic that you ate.

Your mouth wants to remain as close to the same pH level at all times, so your saliva adjusts based on what is in your mouth to get it back to the same point. Plus, your mouth takes that time to eat the nutrients left behind from your meal.

If you brush before this happens, you are taking a chance that your mouth could become damaged. You are brushing away the vitamins and minerals that your food left behind, instead of allowing your oral tissues and teeth to absorb them during the cleansing process.

If you regularly brush right after you finish eating, you should make sure to go in and get seen by your dentist a bit more often, and let them know why.

They can then keep an eye out for things like eroding enamel, tooth sensitivity, and advanced tooth decay. If you can, wait 30-60 minutes after a meal before you brush, as that gives your mouth the time it needs to stay healthy.

Please contact our office if you have any questions about your oral health.