Brushing your teeth before you eat is like wiping your butt before you poop.
this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2026
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Not brushing first is like not washing your hands before eating finger foods.
is like not washing your hands
No it isn't. I don't go around touching doorknobs and whatnot with my mouth between meals.
I got a knob you can lick 😋
For decay, you need plaque, food and time. Remove the plaque and you don’t get decay even with food. Brush after eating and you help remove plaque and food, but if it was acidic, you need to wait 30+ minutes or you’ll do more harm than good.
So either can work. Personally, I brush before breakfast as I want my mouth fresh and clean to enjoy my food.
Brushing is more linked with reducing gum disease, than tooth decay. Tooth decay is more linked with sugar frequency intake, cutting down sugar events prevents decay more than choosing the optimum time to brush.
I've been doing low carb in one form or another for over a decade. I have some minor cavities that I haven't had filled, and they have not progressed. Carbs, especially sugar is what causes cavities.
Yes. Simple sugars that bacteria process to make acid, that eats into the tooth.
Our mouths aren't sterile, so there is always some plaque. Most meals, there is some sugar, even if low carb. Most fruits and vegetable contain sugars. When raw, they won't cause decays but cooking can caramelise and make simple sugars.
Sugar, plaque plus time is what's needed. Cut down on any of the three and there's less decay. It's also worth bearing in mind that decay is a back and forth process. Every meal it advances. Then saliva repairs before the next meal. Too much sugar and not enough gaps between meals (snacks) and decay becomes a cavity.
Eat breakfast, wait an hour, brush teeth (at work)
Brush teeth first
From my understanding, that is correct. The bacteria in your mouth will turn parts of the food in acids, weakening the protective layers of the tooth. Thus, brushing your teeth directly after eating will be more abrasive. I don't remember the time, but it was advised to wait some time, so the saliva can neutralize and remineralize the teeth.
I've seen people raising the opposite argument: brush it ASAP so the bacteria don't have time to acidify your mouth. Now I'm really unsure which is the right approach.
Clearly the correct answer is to brush your teeth while you're eating breakfast.
Chew, swallow, brush. Chew, swallow, brush.
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Depends on how long I have. If it’s a workday and I don’t have much time then I brush my teeth first, if it’s the weekend and I’m not in a rush I eat breakfast first. I just do this on some idea that sugar (such as in milk) makes your teeth a little softer temporarily and you shouldn’t brush when they’re like that. That from what they say about brushing your teeth after coke but it stuck in my head.
So the most accepted answer is dependent on how acidic your breakfast is. Fruits, juice, coffee? You'll want to brush your teeth +/- 20 minutes prior.
Coffee mixed with toothpaste flavor? Fuck that!
Just a friendly reminder, you should not be rinsing anything other than excess toothpaste.
Did you watch some Materwelonz recently?
Funnily enough yup!
I'm glad fellow Welonz fans are on the fediverse!🤗
I'd go with breakfast first.
I'm assuming you use fluoridated toothpaste. Which is best left on your teeth for a while. Don't rinse, just spit.
Eating within, idk, 30 min or so would hinder the effectiveness of fluoridation. Maybe even promote staining of your enamel.