Each of us wakes up at some point in the process of achieving optimal oral health and realizes that we need to take better care of our gums and teeth. Unfortunately, most of us just increase our activities at this point, assuming things like “I must not be brushing my teeth enough.”
The issue arises when we behave without first considering the veracity or health benefits of what we have been told by conventional wisdom. It’s a frequent slippery slope because we want to change (we’ve realized we need to do something right now), yet we jump right in and continue doing the same thing.
However, we run the danger of making matters worse rather than finding the solution to achieve the best possible oral health if we don’t pause to consider the reality that a large portion of the damage in our mouths has been caused by conventional thinking. This action-before-thought method is known as the “Ready, Fire, Aim” technique.
As a result, we observe a very similar circumstance when we focus on a frequently asked subject at OraWellness.
“Is it necessary for me to brush my teeth after each meal?”
The reasoning behind this inquiry makes sense in light of the cultural misconceptions that we have all been taught.
They consume fermentable carbs from our meals, and brushing gets rid of the nasty bugs and their food. After all, we’ve been told that oral bacteria are the (sole) cause of decay. Does this imply that we should wash our teeth after every meal, even though it is only partially true (you are aware that there are other, more significant causes of tooth decay)?
The issue with brushing just after eating
The International Dental Journal released a research titled “Can cleaning your teeth harm your health? The toothbrush by itself seems to have little effect on dentine and no effect on enamel, according to the scientists’ findings on oral and dental tissues. Brushing your teeth after an erosive challenge can significantly enhance the wear of your enamel and dentine.
What precisely is a “erosive challenge,” then?
Let’s return to common knowledge to address this. We are told that decay is caused by oral bacteria, but we are not taught why. Because bugs release acids as part of their metabolism and because acidic waste gradually erodes tooth enamel, bugs are a contributing factor to decay.
We refer to this process as “acid dissolution.”
Do you recall chemistry from high school? Other substances are dissolved by acids. The surface layer of our teeth is broken down (demineralized) by acids in our mouths. Before you get alarmed, know that our bodies have a fantastic capacity to remineralize this surface by contacting our saliva and causing an acid disintegration of the enamel, which we’ll explain in a moment.
Let’s be clear, though, that acids provide our teeth “an erosive challenge.”
Referring back to the study we cited earlier, brushing our teeth after an erosive challenge can significantly increase the amount of enamel and dentine wear. To ensure we are not oversensitizing this topic, the authors used the phrase “dramatically increased.”
How is brushing after meals related to this?
The problem is that almost every meal contains some acid. Most meals include enough acid to produce erosive challenges, even if you are not consuming a “conventional soda,” which is bad for your teeth and the rest of your body.
Typical acidic meals and beverages that might damage our enamel include:
These typical acidic meals and beverages have the potential to cause a “erosion challenge.”
soda (such as Pepsi, Coke, etc.)
Healthy” soda (water kefir, kombucha, etc.)
Anything sweet, such as honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, or sugar
dressing for salads (vinegar has a high acidity)
lemon, lime, and other citrus
fermented foods, such as sauerkraut
Simply said, foods that are inherently acidic are healthy for us—even sweet meals in moderation. They provide a more balanced pH in our bodies and aid in digestion, which increases the amount of nutrients we absorb from our food. Eating more naturally acidic foods makes our internal chemistry more alkaline because most of us have an acidic internal environment. This is the reasoning for serving fermented vegetables with a meal or adding a touch of lemon to your drink.
The alteration in the tooth surface is palpable.
After eating or especially after consuming an acidic beverage, you may notice a roughness in your teeth if you use your tongue to feel how they feel. The surface roughness then “goes away” (remineralizes) after a while.
Here is a free tool to assist you understand what’s happening in your mouth, as one of OraWellness’s main goals is to help repair the disconnect that most of us have with our mouths.
Therefore, the rule of thumb when it comes to brushing and eating is to wait at least twenty minutes after eating.
You see, it takes some time for the compromised enamel to stiffen back up when acids in food or beverages create an erosive challenge. Scrubbing our teeth while the enamel is at its weakest is the last thing we want to do because it has been shown to lose enamel.
Nevertheless, we can hasten the body’s recovery from oral acids.
The alteration in the tooth surface is palpable.
After eating or especially after consuming an acidic beverage, you may notice a roughness in your teeth if you use your tongue to feel how they feel. The surface roughness then “goes away” (remineralizes) after a while.
Here is a free tool to assist you understand what’s happening in your mouth, as one of OraWellness’s main goals is to help repair the disconnect that most of us have with our mouths.
Therefore, the rule of thumb when it comes to brushing and eating is to wait at least twenty minutes after eating.
You see, it takes some time for the compromised enamel to stiffen back up when acids in food or beverages create an erosive challenge. Scrubbing our teeth while the enamel is at its weakest is the last thing we want to do because it has been shown to lose enamel.
Nevertheless, we can hasten the body’s recovery from oral acids.