After You Brush Your Teeth How Long Is It Until You Can Taste Sweet Things Again

A: Not always, you tin can damage your teeth if you do so later consuming some foods and drinks.

Published 15/03/2011

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Practise y'all brush your teeth as soon as y'all've finished a repast?
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Sometimes at that place'southward null better than brushing your teeth, especially when something you lot eat or drink leaves a bad gustation in your oral cavity.

Simply could you actually be damaging your teeth past brushing them right after eating or drinking?

It's possible, says Dr Peter Alldritt, chairman of the Australian Dental Association's oral wellness committee, especially if you've but consumed something acidic like sugary drinks, vino, citrus fruits or juice.

You may accept been told to brush your teeth every bit soon as yous terminate a meal, but sometimes brushing as well presently tin can harm your teeth.

"Fruits, particularly orangish or lemon juice, vinegar, sport drinks and soft drinks, all have a very high level of acidity in them and what they do is soften the enamel," he said.

"If you then go and brush your teeth straight away you lot're going to harm the softened enamel."

Waiting to brush for at least 30 minutes gives your mouth time to produce enough saliva to neutralize the acidity, Alldritt says. This saliva helps your teeth to harden and absorb more calcium, which then acts similar a coat of armour.

"Saliva contains calcium and phosphate ions and teeth as well contain these ions, then saliva acts as a reservoir of calcium and phosphate for your teeth," he said.

"Saliva also contains enzymes and buffers which neutralize acrid and return the pH of your mouth to neutral over fourth dimension."

You lot especially desire to avoid brushing if you've consumed anything that contains citric acid, found in fruit, or phosphoric acrid, which most soft drinks are filled with. Drinks that combine both of these acids, such as lemon-flavoured fizzy drinks, are harder for saliva to neutralise.

Protecting enamel

Enamel is the thin, merely very hard, outer coating of your teeth. Information technology protects the inner parts of the tooth including the dentine and the pulp. Only a fraction of a millimeter thick in some parts, enamel never grows back once it'due south chipped or worn away it.

Exposure to acidic foods or drinks is one of the chief reasons that enamel wears abroad or erodes. This procedure, known equally tooth erosion, leaves the dentine exposed and your teeth much more sensitive.

"Dentine is very porous and all the holes in this material have little nerves in them, which means your teeth would be exquisitely sensitive if the enamel was gone," he said.

In one case your teeth become sensitive it can become painful to consume annihilation hot or common cold, or even to brush your teeth. Other signs of tooth erosion include a yellowish discolouration, rounded teeth, or even cracking.

You can also damage tooth enamel by grinding your teeth, brushing too hard, or chewing on hard objects, such as pens.

Alldritt says it's vital y'all protect every bit of enamel that you have.

So if you bask acidic food or drinks then y'all might want to:

• rinse your mouth with tap h2o later on eating or drinking (this volition help reduce the acerbity)
• chew sugar-free glue, (not only does this leave a fresh taste in your rima oris, it also encourages saliva production)
• eat a slice of hard cheese (this can also help with the creation of saliva, while the calcium in the cheese helps strengthen your teeth).

Dental care

Merely in that location are some times when you should brush straight abroad, specially if you have eaten foods that are gummy, such as hard or chewy lollies, caramels or dried fruit.

Not only are these foods loftier in sugar, they besides stick in the crevices of your teeth. The longer that sugar is sitting there, the more than likely it is that cavities are going to grade in the enamel.

So when is the best fourth dimension to brush your teeth? Dentists recommend yous practise information technology twice a day: after breakfast and just before bedtime – unless you've just had something acidic.

It's best to avoid eating or drinking after you brush at night, every bit the toothpaste will embrace your teeth with a thin layer of fluoride, which will assist strengthen your teeth while you sleep.

And recollect to floss daily to remove food and plaque bacteria from in betwixt your teeth, where your toothbrush can't reach.

Dr Peter Alldritt is chairman of the Australian Dental Association's oral health committee and he spoke to Cassie White.

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Source: https://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2011/03/15/3164618.htm

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