A leading dentist has urged people to avoid brushing their teeth right after three daily activities, warning that many people make this mistake without realising the potential harm it can cause.
The expert stressed that if you ditch these common habits – assuming you’re already doing so – your teeth will benefit greatly. So, what does he suggest?
Dr Derek Chung said on TikTok via his @paste.dental business account that there are three things we need to consider when it comes to breakfast: beverages and timing.
1. Being sick
“Don’t brush your teeth right after throwing up,” he urged, saying “it will make it worse.” It’s best to wait half an hour before brushing. “Stomach acid softens tooth enamel, and brushing will further scrape it off,” he explained. “Rinse your mouth with water or baking soda, then wait 30 minutes. Your teeth will thank you.”
2. Breakfast
While you may be eager to finish your breakfast and get out the door – whether it’s for lunch with friends or heading to the office – waiting can make a big difference.
“Brushing your teeth right after breakfast (especially after drinking coffee or orange juice) can damage tooth enamel because acids soften teeth, and brushing too soon can wear them down,” explains the dental expert. “To be safe, wait 30-60 minutes or rinse with water first.”
3. Drinks
If you’re going to drink a sugary drink (which many of you are doing as temperatures soar this week), you’ll want to wait a while, too.
That’s because sugars and acids “soften tooth enamel, and brushing too soon can wear it down,” explains Dr. Chung. “It’s best to rinse with water first and wait about 30 minutes before brushing.”
Harvard Health Warning
The benefits extend beyond smiles, warns Harvard Health. A new Harvard-led study, published online in JAMA Internal Medicine, shows that critically ill hospitalized patients who brushed twice a day were significantly less likely to develop hospital-acquired pneumonia.
“They needed ventilators for less time, were able to leave the intensive care unit (ICU) sooner, and were less likely to die in the ICU than patients without similar toothbrushing habits.”
But how exactly is this happening? Health experts explain that pneumonia in hospitalized patients “is often caused by germs that are aspirated into the mouth — there are more than 700 species of these germs, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms.”
For patients on ventilators, the risk is even greater, as the breathing tube inserted down the throat can carry germs deep into the lungs.
“Patients on ventilators lose a key defense mechanism to clear bacteria,” explains Dr. Jiang. “Without a ventilator, our bodies can usually expel some bacteria from the upper respiratory tract,” she concludes.
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