Those who cannot even wait for a minute after a meal and run to the bathroom giving in to the lure of the toothpaste, make a mistake. Take what’s the dentists’ word for it. As otherwise said by the results of a research, going straight from the fork to the toothbrush to brush your teeth could seriously damage them.
Basically, this facilitates the action of the corrosive acids, as Howard R. Gamble, president of the Academy of General Dentistry, warns from the USA. The expert’s appeal (not only published on several newspapers in the USA) advises to delay the after-lunch teeth cleaning. He observes that many people brush their teeth a number of times higher than those recommended by the specialists.
But also the ‘extra rubs’ do more harm than good. If we use the toothbrush within 20-30 minutes after eating or sipping a cup of coffee or a soft drink, the teeth are not safe; rather it exposes the smile to a serious damage, as Gamble says. In fact the acids damage the enamel and the underlying layer (called “dentin”) of the teeth.
Rubbing too soon the teeth with the bristles of the toothbrush can drive these acids even more in depth accelerating the corrosion process. The warning is based on scientific data: a research has shown just that if the teeth are rubbed immediately after the meal or acidic soft drinks, the teeth corrode faster; these acidic substances practically “strip” the teeth of their surface layer, demineralising them. In the study a group of volunteers has “worn” samples of human dentin on the dental arch and tested different brushing “strategies”.
Result: brushing your teeth within 20 minutes after taking a soft drink has caused a considerable damage, but at the same time, experts have noticed that a secret to protect the teeth would be. Pace be upon the fans of spicy foods. Just wait one hour after the meal before using the toothbrush in order to prevent the adverse effects described by the researchers.
Even half an hour would be enough, the wear is not resulted significantly higher after this “security” period of time. Hence the conclusion of the researchers: to protect the tooth surface you should wait at least 30 minutes after the erosive attack implemented by acids.
Source: Adnkronos Salute/Dentisti-Italia.it
