Should You Brush Before Or After Breakfast? Dentist Resolves The Morning Dilemma

Starting the day with a simple routine is everyone’s preference. But the age-old question of whether to brush your teeth before or after breakfast can quickly become a daily conundrum. Deciding between enjoying a hearty breakfast or tending to your oral hygiene can feel like a challenging choice, reminding us of the classic ‘chicken and egg’ dilemma. For many, diving into a plate of scrambled eggs or a Full English breakfast seems like the logical start to the day. On the other hand, some individuals cannot imagine beginning their day without first brushing their teeth.

The debate over the ideal time to brush your teeth in the morning is a topic that everyone seems to have an opinion on. Fortunately, a dentist has stepped in to provide her expert opinion on this dental quandary.

Anna Peterson, a dental therapist from Essex known for sharing dental advice on social media, has weighed in on the debate, offering clarity on whether breakfast or brushing should come first.

Having previously advised against using mouthwash immediately after brushing and explaining the concept of ‘black triangles’ between teeth, Anna’s expertise adds weight to her stance on the breakfast brushing debate. While Anna has already shared the advice back in 2022, her video has resurfaced and has been going viral on social media platforms.

According to Anna, it is advisable to brush your teeth before eating breakfast. In her caption, she has also detailed why one should “brush straight before bed and at one other time in the day.”

“This is good advice but there is a reason I advise my patients to brush first thing in the morning and here’s why: Minimise wear to your enamel, disturb all the bacteria that have been getting busy overnight setting up camp, eating without brushing and applying a good fluoride toothpaste to your teeth means the teeth are not as strong as they could be and we are feeding the bacteria,” she explains.

She also adds that if you forget to brush before breakfast, you should ideally wait for 30 minutes before brushing to ensure the mouth is less acidic and to avoid wearing the enamel.

In a video, she outlined her reasoning: “There’s two reasons for this. When you eat breakfast, your mouth becomes acidic. So what you’re doing when you brush your teeth after breakfast is brushing the acid into the tooth and this wears away the enamel. And, brushing before breakfast protects your teeth from anything you’re going to eat.”

It seems that in addition to combating morning breath, brushing your teeth before breakfast can also protect your teeth from potential harm. Most viewers in the comments have also agreed with her. One user said, “I knew I was doing it right since childhood,” while another one wrote, “Where were you during my childhood?”

However, despite Anna’s reasonable opinion, some have expressed discontent, as following her advice would mean starting the day with a ‘minty breakfast.’ It appears that in the ongoing debate, finding a satisfying solution is a challenge in itself.