2024-03-08 14:29:02
08 mars 2024
It is often recommended to wait half an hour before brushing your teeth following a meal. This is due to the acidity of certain foods and drinks, the effects of which on enamel can be exacerbated by brushing.
It is recommended to brush your teeth at least twice a day, for two minutes. One piece of advice, less known to the general public this time, is to wait 30 minutes before brushing your teeth following a meal.
For what ? Acid in food or drinks attacks tooth enamel. Specifically, it erodes enamel and the layer just below it, dentin. And brushing can intensify this process. “With brushing, you can really push the acid deep into the enamel and dentin”DR Howard R. Gamble, then president of the dental academy, explained to the New York Times in 2012.
A study, which the New York Times then reported, showed a loss of dentin when brushing within 20 minutes following drinking diet soda. Wear was significantly less when brushing occurred 30 to 60 minutes following drinking. “So, in order to protect the dentin surface, at least 30 minutes should elapse for brushing your teeth following an acid attack,” concluded the authors.
Dr. Vera Tang, assistant professor at NYU College of Dentistry, confirmed this recently, in April 2023, on the American website Self. This time it was regarding coffee. Here once more, the specialist advised waiting half an hour before brushing your teeth following drinking coffee, explaining that the action of the toothbrush immediately following coffee pushed the acid into the pores of the teeth.
Soda, coffee… wine, vinaigrette sauce, fruits and fruit juices, soft drinks, tomatoes, ketchup, sweets, sweet desserts are also acidic foods and drinks.
The protective effect of saliva for teeth
Concretely, what happens during these thirty minutes? Foods and drinks lower the pH of the mouth, making it more acidic. Brushing your teeth when the PH is acidic will cause erosion that is harmful to enamel and dentin. But gradually, under the effect of saliva, the PH rises, you can then brush your teeth without fear, following at least 30 minutes.
Saliva has many protective properties for teeth. In addition to regulating the pH of the mouth, “the mineral ions contained in saliva contribute to the remineralization of enamel. Thus, saliva can help repair the damage caused by acid attacks”underlines the French Union for Oral Health.
But half an hour is a long time. And you may not have time to wait 30 minutes before brushing your teeth. Dr. Never, star dentist on social networks, gives the following advice:
Rinse your mouth with clean water immediately to raise the pH of the mouth Chew sugar-free chewing gum to stimulate saliva production and therefore raise the PH of the mouth
What are the rules for brushing your teeth properly?
The French Union for Oral Health (UFSBD) recommends brushing your teeth twice a day, morning and evening, for 2 minutes with fluoridated toothpaste, which protects once morest cavities. For effective brushing, the BROS method is popular:
B for brushing the upper teeth and the lower teeth separately R for roller or making a rotating movement to brush teeth and gums from pink to white O for oblique. We tilt the brush at 45° on the gum S to follow a path to be sure to go around all the teeth, including the top
The UFSBD also recommends using dental floss every evening.
Source : New york times, Self, UFSBD, compte Instagram de Dr. Denver
Written by: Dorothée Duchemin – Edited by Emmanuel Ducreuzet
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