Should you brush your teeth before breakfast

We have all been told by parents to brush our teeth every morning since childhood. However, it’s a confusing or even frustrating question whether you should brush your teeth before or after eating breakfast – either way, there seem to be problems.

Some people prefer to brush their teeth right after waking up. After a whole night of bacterias accumulating inside the mouth, doing so will effectively kill the bacterias and ensure oral health. In addition, brushing your teeth also helps keep bad breaths away from your appetite for breakfast.

On the other hand, some people like to brush their teeth after breakfast. The food residue of breakfast you just have finished can be brushed away, and the clean and fresh breath will get you ready for the day.

However, you don’t have to worry about “eating” the bacterias inside your mouth alongside breakfast. The strong acid in the stomach will kill almost all the bacterias. Even if a small amount of bacterias go through the stomach, it’s a very common process and the strong adjusting and defensive capabilities of our body will keep the harms away.

Whether you brush your teeth before or after breakfast, we can’t fully eliminate bacterias inside our mouth for how fast they reproduce. What really matters is that we make sure to brush the teeth every morning – regardless of before or after food – to prevent plaque from forming and ensure a healthy oral environment.