Dentist explains the difference between brushing your teeth before or after breakfast

It’s something everyone does daily - at least, hopefully they do. But when it comes to brushing your teeth, there’s one question that people still debate. Is it better to brush your teeth before breakfast, or after?

Some people argue that brushing before breakfast makes no sense, as you’re about to eat anyway, while other people say they couldn’t imagine starting their day without brushing first. To settle the debate once and for all, dentist Dr Jyothi Chintamani from Dental Arch has explained what dentists recommend people do, and why.

Dr Jyothi said, although it may seem counterintuitive, brushing before breakfast is the best option.

She explained: "When you wake up in the morning, there's been several hours where your mouth hasn't had the same natural cleansing effect from saliva.

"Brushing first helps remove that build-up of plaque and bacteria before you start eating."

It also provides an important benefit for your teeth. She said: "When you brush with fluoride toothpaste, you're coating the teeth with fluoride before they're exposed to food and drink.

"That creates a protective barrier which can help protect the enamel from acidic foods and drinks consumed at breakfast."

Many popular breakfast foods such as berries, coffee and fruit juice are acidic, even if they are considered healthy.

If you eat something acidic, it will soften your enamel and this means that brushing right after eating can wear your teeth down faster.

Rather than reaching for the toothbrush immediately after breakfast, Dr Jyothi recommends waiting.

They said: "If you prefer brushing after breakfast, try to leave at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth.

"This gives saliva time to neutralise acids and allows the enamel to recover."

According to the NHS it is best not to rinse your mouth after brushing. Although you should spit out excess toothpaste, do not rinse with water as this will dilute the fluoride from the toothpaste and make it less effective.

It’s also not a good idea to rinse with mouthwash right after brushing - even if your mouthwash contains fluoride. The NHS said this washes away the concentrated fluoride from the toothpaste.

Mouthwash can be good to prevent tooth decay, but it’s a better idea to use mouthwash after lunch rather than after brushing your teeth.

Once you have used mouthwash, don’t eat or drink anything for half an hour.