The mistake you didn't know you were making when brushing your teeth
Many of us grew up being taught to brush our teeth after meals, both morning and night, with some people adding a middle-of-the-day brush after lunch.
But a trip to the dentist with my daughter recently revealed a major mistake I had long been making with my children's brushing habits.
While some people brush their teeth first thing in the morning, we always encouraged our kids to brush their teeth straight after breakfast.
But now it seems we were wrong.
A recent trip to the dentist revealed a big mistake we were making with teeth brushing. Getty
While discussing good dental hygiene habits, the dentist told us something that turned what we had long been doing on its head.
Many people would no doubt brush their teeth after they eat breakfast, and with most of us rushing in the morning, this would mean a pretty short window between eating breakfast and that all-important first brush of the day.
Certainly, my daughter often ate breakfast at home and then brushed her teeth before leaving home for the day.
The only exception was if she was running late, in which case, she would brush her teeth and then eat breakfast in the car.
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Many parents encourage their children to brush their teeth straight after they eat. Getty
But according to her dentist, brushing straight after you eat could be more damaging to your teeth than not brushing at all.
Why?
Acids found in food and drink can soften your tooth enamel. Some of the worst acid-containing foods are citrus fruits, juice and coffee
But high-carbohydrate foods such as cereals, which many people consume for breakfast, can also lead to acid on your teeth because oral bacteria feed on the carbohydrates and produce acid as a by-product.
So why can't you brush your teeth straight after breakfast?
Because these acids found in food can soften your tooth enamel, which temporarily weakens it, brushing immediately afterwards can wear away the softened enamel and cause damage.
Instead, you should wait about 30 minutes after eating to brush your teeth.
Regular teeth brushing is still the best defence against tooth decay. Getty
Why you should wait 30 minutes
This gives your saliva, which naturally washes away food particles and restores the mouth's pH balance, time to neutralise the acids and 'remineralise' your teeth with minerals, such as calcium and phosphate.
This 'remineralisation' process in turn causes the enamel to harden again before you start brushing, so you are not inadvertently damaging your teeth.
According to our dentist, this is particularly important if teeth are already showing signs or decay or changes to enamel, which can happen in children who have a history of gastroesophageal reflux.
What to do instead of brushing
So you've had your breakfast and now you are waiting to brush. Or maybe you had to brush your teeth and leave for work, and you had breakfast later, but now can't brush your teeth again.
You should wait about 30 minutes after eating to brush your teeth. Getty
There are a few things you can do to help restore your mouth's pH balance and protect your teeth.
First, try rinsing your mouth with water to help wash away food particles.
Next, you can chew some sugar-free gum to help stimulate your mouth's saliva production.
Another tip is to drink plain, unflavoured dairy milk to help neutralise the acids.
If you can't drink dairy, you can use a fortified plant-based option such as almond or coconut milk but make sure you choose one without a lot of hidden sugar.
Drinking a glass of milk after you eat helps neutralise acids in your mouth. Getty
Normal dairy milk should contain five grams of natural sugar (lactose) per 100 millilitre, which equates to about 12 grams, so make sure you check the sugar content of the milk substitute you are using.
Another option is to eat a little hard cheese such as cheddar.
Following these steps will ensure that you get all the benefits out of brushing your teeth, without inadvertently doing more damage.
And don't forget it is important to see a dentist regularly for a check-up, every six to 12 months.
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