Poll: Brush teeth before or after eating breakfast?

[CrystalShadow]

Both are true.

It's obvious that you don't brush your teeth, then eat, because then you're left with the muck of all the food decaying on your teeth.

Yet, immediately after eating, the food itself attacks your teeth. (especially if it's acidic, like orange juice, or cola).

What is the effect of brushing your teeth immediately after covering your teeth in something corrosive?

You effectively are brushing the acid into your teeth, weakening them more than it would otherwise.

The technically correct answer to this, is that you should eat, wait a while (say half an hour at least), then brush your teeth.

But as you can imagine that isn't exactly convenient.

 

[GodofDisaster]

I hardly ever eat breakfast but when I do, I brush after don't want the taste of toothpaste mixing in with my food.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

After.
Ever had pancakes and maple syrup when your mouth tastes of mint? It is bleh.
Plus, that's like having a shower, then jumping in a muddy puddle when you're naked.

 

[RagTagBand]

Brushing before is pointless.

A. Now your breakfast tastes of toothpaste and

B. Your breakfast has now destroyed the point of brushing in the first place (to remove bad odor and food from your teeth and mouth).

It is, as others have said, like wiping your ass before you take a shit.

 

[ultimateownage]

Before. The stuff in your food can soften your teeth, and then you just fuck it up by brushing. I used to do it afterwards because I hated the taste, but I can't be fucked going back upstairs to go and brush my teeth after eating and tea is really good at removing the taste.

 

[gyroc1]

Whoever raised you was a complete idiot. Brushing is to remove left over food to prevent the build up of acid and so on therefore brushing before you eat is not just completely pointless, but will give your food a terrible taste.

For food that weakens enamel, use mouth wash and then an hour later brush.

That's an insult to my parents. Seriously, watch what you post. This would sound pretty bad when said out loud to a real person.

(also, I never notice the taste of mint when I eat breakfast. Keep in mind that I have allergies that probably stunt my tastebuds :< )

 

[Auninteligentname]

I've been raised to brush teeth after eating breakfeast. I however remember somone telling me that I shouldn't brush my teeth after eating/drinking something acidic, like juice, as that indeed weaken your enamel.

 

[Flamezdudes]

After breakfast obviously, whats the point in doing it before if you're just going to eat literally straight afterwards?

It seems nonsensical.

 

[bojackx]

My dentist says that if you're going to do it after, do it quite a bit after due to the softening of enamel caused by the acids in your food and drinks. Both my sisters go to different dentists from me and one another (and their kids go to yet *another* one) and this is the one thing they all seem to agree on!

But if you're having cereal for your breakfast, that shouldn't be a problem, considering milk is an alkali, and not at all acidic.

I have cereal a lot and so I brush my teeth after.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

AFTER!!!

Ugh...Have you TRIED eating right after brushing your teeth with minty toothpaste?! It makes the food taste AWFUL!

>_< I made that mistake ONCE. Never again.

 

[tzimize]

Ok, this is a weird common sense question. Are you supposed to eat before brushing your teeth in the morning or brush your teeth before eating breakfast?
I've been raised to always brushed my teeth before eating. I have a friend whose family eats before brushing, but my dentist recently said that I should eat before brushing. I can see why this makes sense because your teeth get dirty when you eat so it would make sense to brush after eating to destroy all the plaque in one go. But a quick google search suggests that he is wrong because eating certain foods weakens the enamel and makes brushing actually harm your teeth.
Maybe I'm asking this to see people's habits.

I brush me teeth before I go to bed. Brushing them again in the morning would be more or less madness. I brush them after breakfast. If I have something heavy in acid, for example orange juice, I wait a while and probably drink a bit of water to cleanse my mouth before brushing.

I usually drink milk for breakfast so its np.

 

[The Shadowlord]

After. Can't stand that minty taste on my food.

 

[The Last Nomad]

Brushed my teeth this morning and then had soup. It tasted like toothpaste, which is why I always brush after eating. Today was an exception as I was having two breakfasts.

 

[PunkyMcGee]

food tastes worse when everything is competing with the mint flavor.

 

[Substitute Troll]

Common sense would suggest trusting your dentist more than you trust google -.-

 

[Jadak]

Before, although I don't do it in relation to when I have breakfast but rather simply as something I do when I get up. There also tends to be a considerable gap of time in between when I get up and when I have breakfast, if I have it all.

In any case, I find the crap that builds up overnight in your mouth to be much more of a concern than the trivial remnants of breakfast they'll be around until brushing again later in the day. I want the former cleared out as soon as possible, the latter makes little difference if you're brushing multiple times a day.

Occasionally I'll do it after simply because I know I'll be eating soon and I don't feel like having it mixed in with the taste of toothpaste.

 

[gyroc1]

Common sense would suggest trusting your dentist more than you trust google -.-

That's true. My dentist said to brush after eating. But in doing that quick "research" (which was a quick look at a Yahoo Answers), I saw that other people said their dentists told them it's better to brush before eating. It's a conflict of opinions and makes me wonder who is right.

 

[Pebblig]

After, I like starting a day after breakfast with teeth feeling clean and minty fresh. However there is this whole shizzle about orange juice and waiting half an hour after drinking it to clean your teeth. I only know one person who has no enamel and that's because he has oj on his cornflakes 'cos he's lactose intolerant.


I assume if you were to clean your teeth during breakfast this would come under neither?