I remember a hygienist at the dentist once telling me that toothpaste isn’t a huge deal and that it’s the mechanical friction of the toothbrush that provides most of the value. Since being told that, after a meal, I often wet my toothbrush with water and brush for 10 seconds or so.
I just researched it some more and from what I understand, after eating, food debris that remains on your teeth forms a sort of biofilm. Once the biofilm is formed you need those traditional 2 minute long tooth brushing sessions to break it down and remove it. But it takes 30+ minutes to form the biofilm. Before it is formed you don’t need long brushing sessions to significantly reduce the amount of debris that is left on your teeth. So then, these short informal brushing sessions after meals seem like a great “bang for your buck” in terms of reward vs effort.
Retracted: Original comment about how brushing after eating acidic food may be bad
I remember something about not brushing immediately after eating though. Here is a random article I googled. This says don’t brush after eating acidic food, not sure about the general case.
“The reason for that is that when acids are in the mouth, they weaken the enamel of the tooth, which is the outer layer of the tooth,” Rolle says. Brushing immediately after consuming something acidic can damage the enamel layer of the tooth.
Waiting about 30 minutes before brushing allows tooth enamel to remineralize and build itself back up.
That’s a good call out about acidic food. I remember hearing that too and so don’t brush after eating something pretty acidic. Also because my teeth are sensitive to acid and it hurts when I brush after eating something pretty acidic.
For the general case, this excerpt from the article sounded like it was indicating that you should brush after eating.
We’ve all heard that it’s best to brush our teeth after meals. But in some cases, did you know it is best to hold off brushing, at least temporarily?
Key messages: Although the available evidence lacked robust clinical studies, tooth brushing using fluoridated products immediately after an erosive challenge does not increase the risk of ETW [Erosive Tooth Wear] and can be recommended, which is in line with recommendations for dental caries prevention. Furthermore, we suggest updating the international guidelines to promote individualized recommendations based on risk factors to prevent either ETW or dental caries.
Results: [...] Toothbrushing within 10min of acid intake was not associated with erosive tooth wear following adjustments for dietary factors (OR 1.41 [95% CI: 0.82-2.42], p=0.215]).
Conclusion: Significantly increased odds ratios were observed when acids were consumed between meals in this cohort of patients. Universal advice to delay brushing after meals may not be substantiated.
I remember a hygienist at the dentist once telling me that toothpaste isn’t a huge deal and that it’s the mechanical friction of the toothbrush that provides most of the value. Since being told that, after a meal, I often wet my toothbrush with water and brush for 10 seconds or so.
I just researched it some more and from what I understand, after eating, food debris that remains on your teeth forms a sort of biofilm. Once the biofilm is formed you need those traditional 2 minute long tooth brushing sessions to break it down and remove it. But it takes 30+ minutes to form the biofilm. Before it is formed you don’t need long brushing sessions to significantly reduce the amount of debris that is left on your teeth. So then, these short informal brushing sessions after meals seem like a great “bang for your buck” in terms of reward vs effort.
(See my other comment)
Retracted: Original comment about how brushing after eating acidic food may be bad
I remember something about not brushing immediately after eating though. Here is a random article I googled. This says don’t brush after eating acidic food, not sure about the general case.
https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/brushing-immediately-after-meals-you-may-want-wait
That’s a good call out about acidic food. I remember hearing that too and so don’t brush after eating something pretty acidic. Also because my teeth are sensitive to acid and it hurts when I brush after eating something pretty acidic.
For the general case, this excerpt from the article sounded like it was indicating that you should brush after eating.
Update: Brushing after eating acidic food is likely fine.
Should We Wait to Brush Our Teeth? A Scoping Review Regarding Dental Caries and Erosive Tooth Wear
Key messages: Although the available evidence lacked robust clinical studies, tooth brushing using fluoridated products immediately after an erosive challenge does not increase the risk of ETW [Erosive Tooth Wear] and can be recommended, which is in line with recommendations for dental caries prevention. Furthermore, we suggest updating the international guidelines to promote individualized recommendations based on risk factors to prevent either ETW or dental caries.
Timing of dietary acid intake and erosive tooth wear: A case-control study
Results: [...] Toothbrushing within 10min of acid intake was not associated with erosive tooth wear following adjustments for dietary factors (OR 1.41 [95% CI: 0.82-2.42], p=0.215]).
Conclusion: Significantly increased odds ratios were observed when acids were consumed between meals in this cohort of patients. Universal advice to delay brushing after meals may not be substantiated.
isn’t this what toothpicks are traditionally for?
sometimes i just run my fingernail through my teeth, scrape all the outward surfaces and slide it in between the teeth
My understanding is that toothpicks are for scraping the area in between teeth, not the surface of the tooth itself.
I think the area in between teeth can only be thoroughly cleaned by flossing unless you brush really really carefully