Wouldn't Brushing After Every Meal Wear out the Teeth Enamel?

Question

Wouldn't Brushing After Every Meal Wear out the Teeth Enamel? I Try to Wait 1 Hr Max

Lance Timmerman, DMD, MAGD · Answer

The bristles of a normal brush or the normal toothpaste are not abrasive enough.  However, if you soaked your teeth in something acidic, waiting 20 minutes may be a good idea, but even then we are talking "maybe" a couple microns.  What is commonly called toothbrush abrasion is incorrect, it is usually a bite issue.  Even trained dentists get this wrong.

If you are waiting an hour, that is still better than most.  You don't need to wait, but it doesn't hurt.What you MAY be referring to is the situation after an acidic event.  Like when sick, if one vomits, the stomach acid softens the enamel.  The taste is terrible and one is inclined to brush in order to remove the taste.  However, this CAN remove some microns of enamel.  Once or twice is not a big deal, but a bulimic, a person that purges several times per day, will have significant damage to their teeth, both in the erosion from the stomach acid and the brushing away.

Kevin Coughlin, DMD · Answer

No not at all if done properly and with the correct brush with soft bristles good luck

	 

	Kevin Coughlin DMD, MBA, MAGD    CEO Baystate Dental PC

George Koutsoukos, DDS · Answer

Hi Rina

	Brushing and flossing your teeth after every meal should be a must!  Enamel is one of the hardest structures in your body.  Brushing your teeth will not wear out enamel. It is possible to damages the delicate gum tissue around the gumline where the tooth and gum meet. Make sure you use a soft bristle brush and always try to floss after every meal. You will have good oral health and less decay!  Brush away!

Lilya Horowitz, DDS · Answer

Tooth enamel is a very hard material. You cannot brush enamel away with a toothbrush. Great ways to loose enamel include drinking acidic beverages such as any type of soda, diet or non diet.

Lawrence Singer, DMD (in memoriam) · Answer

Brushing done with a soft toothbrush ORAL B or Butler doesn't have appreciable abrasion of the  tooth enamel.  If you brush as suggested for a couple minutes after every meal you will greatly extend your oral health.  Use a natural toothpaste like one from youngliving.com - the chemicals and abrasives in crest and colgate are not good for you to ingest.  What many dentists and hygienists incorrectly call toothbrush wear or abrasion is really recession caused by abfraction which is tooth wear from of axis forces and excessive grinding.

Wouldn't Brushing After Every Meal Wear out the Teeth Enamel?

Answers (5)

Answer: Too Much Brushing

Answer: Too Much Brushing

Answer: How often to brush?

Answer: How often to brush?

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Wouldn't Brushing After Every Meal Wear out the Teeth Enamel?

Answers (5)

Answer: Too Much Brushing

Answer: Too Much Brushing

Answer: How often to brush?

Answer: How often to brush?

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Invisalign

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.