Manouchehri broke down the science behind it: "Coffee is quite acidic, especially if you add milk and sugar, which can make the acidity even worse. If you brush your teeth straight away, you're essentially rubbing acid onto the tooth and wearing it away," she explained. Instead, she recommends waiting at least 30 to 60 minutes before brushing your teeth. "You don’t actually have to brush your teeth immediately. Just rinse your mouth with some mouthwash or drink water," she advised. So, if you want to keep your enamel intact, it might be worth holding off on that post-coffee brushing session!
Dentist explains why this common morning mistake ruins coffee lovers' teeth
A veteran dentist points out one common mistake coffee lovers make in the morning routine.
For many, starting the day with a cup of coffee before brushing their teeth is just part of the morning routine. However, a dentist advises against this habit. Dr. Shaadi Manouchehri, a dentist with over a decade of experience—known as @dr.shaadi.manouchehri on Instagram—recently explained in a video why brushing your teeth right after coffee can actually be harmful. "Never brush your teeth after you have just had coffee,” she warned.
Besides that, she shared two other occasions when people should not brush their teeth. She spoke about why one should not brush after vomiting. "The contents of the stomach are extremely acidic and your teeth are made up of minerals, so when the contents of the stomach have come into the mouth, then the mouth is very acidic and if you brush straight away, you are rubbing that acid onto the tooth even more." She asked people to wait for 30 to 60 minutes before brushing their teeth after vomiting.
Similarly, she requested people to brush their teeth before breakfast instead of after it. "Because if you brush straight away, you are going to be damaging your enamel and actually, when you first wake up in the morning, you have quite a lot of bacteria in your mouth and that needs to be brushed before you have your breakfast," she shared.
People in the comments found the advice helpful. @saretta.polpetta_ commented, "'Never brush your teeth after you've had coffee'... I *sipping on coffee.*" @angelab1006 wrote, "No one ever taught me this, why? So we can get more cavities and probably get more dental profits." @yaelrachel97 expressed, "I always brush my teeth before breakfast and everyone is like, 'Why would you brush your teeth before you eat?' I love being right." @circus_circles said, "I honestly don't know how brushing your teeth isn't the first thing everyone does in the morning." @jonahlupton commented, "So I've been brushing my teeth wrong my whole life."
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Another dentist, Judy Cornelison, used to love wearing costumes at work to relax her patients. "I discovered early in my career that people don't like to come to the dentist," Cornelison said. It all started in 1994 when a patient got her a hat from a New Year Eve's party. "I wore it that day and it just changed patients' whole demeanor," she said. "It puts patients at ease." Her costume collection also started to grow since then. She had a singing turkey hat, "Super Floss" and a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater. She thinks wearing a costume works as "an icebreaker" with the patients. She retired about two years ago, but she still fills in at dental offices. Once she retired, many of her costumes and collections were gifted to an eye doctor who was also her patient.
You can follow Dr. Shaadi Manouchehri (@dr.shaadi.manouchehri) on Instagram for more content on dental hygiene.
This article originally appeared 3 months ago.
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