We all know we should be brushing our teeth twice a day.
But there are some instances you should never brush them, according to London-based dentist Dr Shaadi Manouchehri.
Using your toothbrush straight after eating breakfast, after vomiting or after chomping on sweets could destroy your enamel, she warned.
Although you may want to clean your mouth as soon as possible if you have been sick, it could make matters worse.
Brushing your teeth straight after eating breakfast, after vomiting or after chomping on sweets could destroy your enamel. That’s according to London-based dentist Dr Shaadi Manouchehri who shared her expert advice on Instagram
‘The contents of the stomach are extremely acidic and the mouth is in a very acidic state so, if you brush straight after you are basically wearing away your enamel,’ Dr Manouchehri said in an Instagram video shared with her 19,000 followers.
But the mouth is also acidic after eating.
That’s because acid is produced when the bacteria in your mouth breaks down the sugar in food.
This acid dissolves the tooth surface, which is the first stage of tooth decay.
Therefore, brushing straight after breakfast is never a good idea.
‘When you have just eaten the mouth is in a very acidic state, so if you brush your teeth, you are rubbing that acid on the tooth which is a mineral and it can wear it down,’ according to Dr Manouchehri.
Picking up your toothbrush too soon after eating sweets also risks tooth decay because acid is rubbed around the mouth.
To avoid this, you should wait at least an hour to brush your teeth after having sweets, according to Dr Manouchehri.
She said: ‘When you have just eaten sweets the mouth has digested it into an acid is going to get rubbed on the teeth and destroy the enamel.’
Sugary food and drink are a main cause of tooth decay, according to the NHS.
Tooth decay can be caused by the build-up of a sticky layer of bacteria called plaque.
Over time this bacteria damages the surface of your teeth, causing holes and white, brown or blacks spots to appear on the tooth.
Other signs of tooth decay include a toothache and a sharp pain in the tooth when eating or drinking hot, cold or sweet things.
