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Comment by LeoPanthera | Hacker News Reader

Brushing after breakfast, rather than before, is recommended for maximum cleanness.

If you only brush once a day, brush last thing before bed.

I remember hearing a long time ago that brushing before eating is better. Sugar reacts with plaque to form acids and brushing temporarily removes plaque. So eating straight after brushing doesn't really do anything.

I've heard this also but it doesn't make much sense to me. If you brush after you eat, wouldn't it remove the plaque, sugar, and any possible acid? Any plaque that remains will have little to nothing to eat.

If you brush before eating, there will still be some plaque left and once you eat there should be copious amounts of sugar and food for it to snack on and quickly multiply + produce acid.

The way I understood it the acids in the food make the enamel softer. Brushing while the enamel is softened can result in brushing away the outermost layer of enamel. Waiting until 45-60 minutes supposedly allows the saliva to normalize the pH level so that the enamel is at full strength again.

Brushing after you eat is not recommended because you're a lot more likely to damage your enamel that way, especially if you've eaten anything acidic.

Acidic foods temporarily weaken your enamel to the point that even light brushing can damage it.

It’s the other way around. Food doesn’t make your teeth bad. It’s bacteria in your mouth, eating your food and shitting out enzymes that soften and damage your teeth. So before you eat, make sure those bacteria are wiped away by brushing your teeth.

If you brush immediately after eating, you’re partially brushing their enzyme shit into your teeth…

It is, however, disgusting.

I'm the opposite: I think it's disgusting people brush before breakfast, just to dirty their mouth right up again with breakfast and walk around un-brushed afterward

Do you brush your teeth after lunch?

Yes, why wouldn't I? I brush at least 2-3 a day, with flossing, after every meal. I've never understood people who can't afford 6 minutes a day to properly care for one of the most important parts of our bodies (ie teeth).

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