# Do you brush your teeth before or after breakfast? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886 "2012-10-16T14:37:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/21 "2012-10-16T16:17:38Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > You’re not supposed to? Here’s one cite: [http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/really-never-brush-your-teeth-immediately-after-a-meal/](http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/really-never-brush-your-teeth-immediately-after-a-meal/) Google ‘brushing immediately after meals’ and you can pick and choose which sites you want to believe. I generally eat at work, so I brush immediately after I wake up. I was once on a trip with friend and we were sharing a hotel room. He didn’t brush when we got up because we were going downstairs for breakfast. I’m not sure how you could face a waiter or waitress knowing you had morning breath until you could brush later. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/22 "2012-10-16T16:36:04Z")
I don’t eat breakfast. I snack on some carrots and grape tomatoes and maybe some fruit at work at about 9:00. The last thing I do before leaving home in the morning is brush. (Well, technically the last thing is putting on my shoes.) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/23 "2012-10-16T16:39:33Z")
> [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](#): > > I was once on a trip with friend and we were sharing a hotel room. He didn’t brush when we got up because we were going downstairs for breakfast. I’m not sure how you could face a waiter or waitress knowing you had morning breath until you could brush later. I’m not sure how you could face a breakfast companion with morning breath. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/24 "2012-10-16T16:44:38Z")
Brush teeth? What is this archaic process you speak of? Been using a waterpik after breakfast since the 80’s. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/25 "2012-10-16T16:47:47Z")
After breakfast. Those people who complain of “yucky morning mouth” probably have some dental disease or don’t brush (properly) before going to bed if their mouth really feels repulsive after waking up. I have also heard about the “brushing after eating damages your teeth” but I haven’t had any problems since I stopped drinking soda 6 years ago (I now drink milk, which has sugar in it but a lot less, plus calcium and isn’t acidic; I rarely eat acidic foods, at least those that are obviously acidic). ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/26 "2012-10-16T17:06:42Z")
Breakfast? what’s that? Seriously, I don’t eat breakfast, but as part of my morning routine I do brush my teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/27 "2012-10-16T17:09:20Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > After breakfast. Those people who complain of “yucky morning mouth” probably have some dental disease or don’t brush (properly) before going to bed if their mouth really feels repulsive after waking up. What about the people you are eating with? Even if you don’t feel yucky morning mouth, your breath definitely stinks. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/28 "2012-10-16T17:27:21Z")
It depends. I have no set schedule for when I get up, when I go to bed, etc. If I have an early am dog walk I may just rush out the door without doing any morning routine. If I have time I will brush before, if not then it can wait until I get back home. Sometimes I eat breakfast, some days I don’t. If I’m really hungry I will eat first, otherwise I brush my teeth first. Kind of like taking a shower/bath. Depends on if/when I have to go out. Early morning walks get the unwashed/unbrushed me. Dogs seem to like me better than way anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/29 "2012-10-16T17:29:01Z")
Both before and after. Brush when I wake up, after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner and brush and floss at bedtime. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/30 "2012-10-16T17:29:53Z")
I don’t immediately eat after going through my morning routine. So I brush first because, like the OP, I can’t stand to go around with nasty morning mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/31 "2012-10-16T17:32:11Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > After breakfast. Those people who complain of “yucky morning mouth” probably have some dental disease or don’t brush (properly) before going to bed if their mouth really feels repulsive after waking up. > > I have also heard about the “brushing after eating damages your teeth” but I haven’t had any problems since I stopped drinking soda 6 years ago (I now drink milk, which has sugar in it but a lot less, plus calcium and isn’t acidic; I rarely eat acidic foods, at least those that are obviously acidic). Saliva washes away bacteria and neutralizes acid and bacteria. Saliva decreases while you sleep. Yucky morning mouth is normal and typical for healthy people. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/32 "2012-10-16T19:04:58Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > After breakfast. Those people who complain of “yucky morning mouth” probably have some dental disease or don’t brush (properly) before going to bed if their mouth really feels repulsive after waking up. :dubious: There’s this stuff called plaque that builds up on the surfaces of teeth and tongue during the night, which can decay your teeth. I’ve used a Sonicare brush morning and night for about 10 years; I can assure you it’s no dental disease or caused by a lack of brushing before bed. The idea of eating, conversing, kissing my wife or otherwise interacting before I’ve brushed my teeth in the morning is sort of disgusting. After I eat, I usually take a swig of Listerine, swish & spit to release any food particles and get rid of food breath. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/33 "2012-10-16T19:33:55Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > :dubious: There’s this stuff called plaque that builds up on the surfaces of teeth and tongue during the night, which can decay your teeth. I’ve used a Sonicare brush morning and night for about 10 years; I can assure you it’s no dental disease or caused by a lack of brushing before bed. > > The idea of eating, conversing, kissing my wife or otherwise interacting before I’ve brushed my teeth in the morning is sort of disgusting. After I eat, I usually take a swig of Listerine, swish & spit to release any food particles and get rid of food breath. How does plaque form if there isn’t anything for the bacteria to feed on (as it says [here](http://www.humanaonedental.com/dental-health-articles/dental-plaque.asp); “In order to create plaque, your mouth needs bacteria, **carbohydrates, food particles** and saliva”, and on other dental web sites)? Or, why does it only seem to happen in some people; I’ve never noticed bad breath or furry teeth when I wake up, unless I didn’t brush before going to bed. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/34 "2012-10-16T21:02:39Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I’ve thought about inventing a Roomba for your mouth where you can get your teeth cleaned while you are typing, working etc. I would totally buy one of these. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/35 "2012-10-16T21:05:32Z")
After breakfast, assuming I have breakfast. I don’t wake up with a stinky mouth for some reason, I know others do. However I don’t have an early morning breakfast often. I’m more likely to go out for brunch, so I’ll shower and go through the ritual for that. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/36 "2012-10-16T21:36:56Z")
I’ve met a few people who brush first thing when they wake up, and it just doesn’t make sense to me. I brushed immediately before I went to bed, even if I slept for 8-10 hours, that still leaves 14-16 hours between brushes when I’m awake. On top of that, I didn’t eat or drink anything while I was asleep, other than maybe some water, so my mouth is going to be a lot cleaner before eating breakfast than, say, when I’m eating dinner, after having been awake for longer and had breakfast and lunch as well since the last time I’d brushed. I’d much rather eat breakfast and have clean teeth and fresh breath for at least the first part of the day and not immediately undo the brushing I just did. It just flat out seems more hygenic. Moreover, toothpaste tends to have a fairly strong mint flavor which will linger. I have eaten after brushing, and things tend to taste a little off, though a good rinse will fix most of it. As for it being gross eating without brushing, I only get that gross morning mouth if I’ve been sick–though, I’d brush immediately after if I actually threw up–so things don’t taste off, and if it does, I’ll just rinse or have some juice or something. So, yeah, I just don’t see the point in brushing right away. Even if there are nasty germs growing in my mouth moreso overnight, how will 5-10 minutes of eating breakfast first make it really any worse in a way that eating and not brushing after wouldn’t be at least as bad? ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/37 "2012-10-17T00:25:49Z")
99.9% of the time I do not eat breakfast. I just drink a glass of water and run out the door. I do brush my teeth before drinking the water. I’ve had an intermittent problem for about 5 years with vomiting up the water sometimes, and brushing seems to reduce that. But, it’s just water. If I were actually going to eat something (1-2x per year), I’d brush after. I don’t want my food tasting like toothpaste, and I hate the sensation of eating with freshly brushed teeth. It’s like taking a shower and then going to bed on dirty sheets. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/38 "2012-10-17T00:45:16Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The night before. . . . > [@Leaffan](#): > > I don’t eat breakfast. . . . Same here. Brush before bedtime, and I don’t eat anything until dinner time. (Sometimes a lunchtime bagel or apple.) (I drink a lot of tea; suppresses sensations of hunger.) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/39 "2012-10-17T10:28:52Z")
Brushing before breakfast is just weird, and would make breakfast taste horrible. By the time you’ve had a cup of strong coffee, your morning breath is going to be masked by coffee breath anyway 🙂 **Acsenray** , do you also brush after breakfast? ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886/40 "2012-10-17T11:55:11Z")
Brushing without toothpaste as soon as I get out of the shower and then brush again after breakfast with toothpaste. When I am short of time I will just do the pre-breakfast one with toothpaste, but either way I need a cup of tea before I even get into the shower. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-brush-your-teeth-before-or-after-breakfast/637886.md?page=3)