Is it better to brush your teeth before or after drinking your coffee, to maintain your oral health while avoiding stains? Here’s what dentists think.
Many French people have a good coffee for breakfast, then brush their teeth. A routine that we often don’t even dream of questioning, especially since this beverage is known to stain the teeth. But here’s what happens in our oral cavity when we brush our teeth after coffee: the acidity of the brown liquid attacks the outer layer of our teeth. For Christina Meiners, a dentist at CommunCare Health Centers in San-Antonio (Texas, USA), who spoke recently in the press, “then you brush more acid on your teeth [than you clean them ]. This can cause them to deteriorate faster and increase their sensitivity.”
If you do it occasionally, it’s not too bothersome, on the order of micro-abrasion. If it’s normal, then you’re wearing out your enamel, said Siama Muhammad, dentist at Brooklyn Oak Dental Care, also quoted by several media. The hard layer that is the enamel, located on the surface of the tooth, then gives way to the dentin (below), which creates this famous and very unpleasant sensitivity.
So, is it better to brush your teeth before coffee instead? The trick is to schedule their brushing at the optimal time to protect their enamel. According to dentists, there is indeed a preferred order for this.
Brushing your teeth before having a coffee avoids the accumulation of dental plaque, while limiting the adhesion of stains, specifies Christina Meiners. It is therefore advisable to brush your teeth as soon as you wake up and have your coffee afterwards. Then here are the options you have after coffee:
