Should I brush my teeth before or after breakfast?

If you are a late riser or have an early dash to work, you may tend to brush your teeth after a quick cup of bed tea, a bite of breakfast and add some time in the shower before hurrying out. But is that the right start to the day? Should you be brushing your teeth before or after breakfast for dental hygiene?
This question of this versus that arises when there is no clarity about the science, according to Dr Neeraj Verma, Senior Consultant Orthodont, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. “There is no room for dualism once you are aware of the real purpose of brushing your teeth,” says he.
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF BRUSHING TEETH
We need to regularly clean the plaque from our mouth. “This sticky transparent film is formed on the surface of our teeth because of the bacteria which get stuck in the gaps and gumlines with food particles. And after our gut, our mouth cavity is the biggest repository of microbes. Now food residue in the mouth can cause pathogenic bacteria, gum disease, decay, cavities and bleeding gums. Our tongue, dentures and fillings are also full of plaque. This layer can form and accumulate in 12 hours. If it is not cleaned in 12 hours manually, it becomes more sticky, congeals and crusts up. Over time, if we do not maintain the brushing cycle within 12 hours, the plaque calcifies into tartar, especially in the deeper areas of the mouth, where we may not be able to manipulate and tw our toothbrush as effectively,” says Dr Verma.

TIME GAPS AND TOOTH HYGIENE
According to the World Health Organisation, you should be brushing your teeth twice a day after 12-hour gaps, or once in the morning and once in the evening. “There is no clinical recommendation but brushing before breakfast is accepted as a healthy routine as it clears out plaque-forming bacteria, preventing them from feeding on food remnants from the night before and multiplying themselves in the process. In the absence of bacteria, the breakfast foods can’t be as degenerative,” says Dr Verma.
Their numbers are also the reason why your mouth cavity may be odorous, leading to bad breath. “And once your mouth is clean, it is ready to receive fresh food and resume production of saliva, which is a protective screen. Besides, talking through the day accelerates self-cleansing of the mouth compared to the resting period at night. Hence the argument for a fresh breath energy before breakfast,” explains Dr Verma.

The after-breakfast routine, he feels, is born out of a time crunch. “People might just think that the remnants of breakfast food could be swirling around in the mouth all day and the best way to get rid of them is to brush after breakfast since frequent brushing in the breakfast hour could also eat into the teeth enamel,” he adds.
However, he has a caveat. “Perhaps brushing after breakfast can be considered in cases where you have brushed your teeth at night after meals and before sleeping. Then your mouth is expected to be reasonably clean in the morning and can be cleansed after breakfast. But if you are brushing once a day, which most of us do, then you must brush before breakfast,” says Dr Verma.
MINIMISING THE EFFECT OF FOOD BREAKDOWN
Many researchers argue that cleaning teeth before breakfast means that the corrosive effects of citric acid, which is found in fruits like oranges, can be avoided. Besides, juices and citric acid soften the enamel and post-breakfast brushing may just damage your enamel faster, wear it out if done over time and take away the white sparkle. “It is a good idea to just rinse your mouth with water twice or thrice after breakfast to clean up any stuck food residue, juice or milk. Then just drink a glass of water,” says Dr Verma.
Enamel is a protective sheath in more ways than one. It prevents your teeth from staining, guards against tooth sensitivity and bacterial attacks. But above all, the most important way is to brush your teeth properly, closer to the gumline and consent motion for two minutes.