Brushing your teeth after you wake up in the morning and just before you go to sleep are the wrong times to brush your teeth.
If you are brushing your teeth to avoid cavities, then these times are a waste of time. Most of the damage done to your teeth by the bacteria that cause cavities has already happened. The acid attack to your teeth from the acids made by the cavity-causing bacteria has already eaten holes in your teeth.
Every time you eat a simple carbohydrate (white sugar, candy, sugary drink, cookies, cake, bread, pasta, etc) the cavity-causing bacteria use the sugars to make acid. They make the acid on your teeth within 2-3 minutes after you stop eating. They will keep the pH on your teeth low enough to dissolve your teeth for 20-30 minutes. This is the acid attack on your teeth every time you eat a simple carbohydrate.
Within 20-30 minutes your saliva dilutes the acids around your teeth, to a more neutral pH, and the acid attack stops.
Therefore, 2-3 minutes after you eat or drink any simple carbohydrate meal or snack is the right time to brush your teeth. If you wait 20-30 minutes to brush, then it is to late. The damage has already been done.
When you can’t brush after eating a Dentiva lozenge, sugar-less gum, or Xylitol candy or gum can help neutralize the acid and stop the cavity process.
As my patients know, there is a way to kill the cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth and avoid this entire process. The cavity-fighting lollipops, Loloz, can kill all the cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth in 5 minutes. It’s Chinese licorice root extract selectively kills the cavity bugs and comes in three delicious flavors. See the prior blog that talks about this product.
Brush immediately after any simple carbohydrate meal, snack or drink to effective fight cavities.
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