Dentist Shares 3 Times You Should Not Brush Your Teeth

A dentist's TikTok video has gone viral, advising when it's best to hold off on brushing your teeth, contrary to instinct. Dr Shaadi Manouchehri, clinical director at Smart Dental Aesthetics and director at the London School of Facial Esthetics, created a stir by suggesting avoiding brushing after certain events, like vomiting, sparking a conversation online with over 12 million views on her video.

Dr Manouchehri added that people should not brush their teeth after eating breakfast or sweets. 

The doctor said the reason why you should avoid brushing your teeth in these three circumstances is because of the PH levels, or acidity in the mouth. 

"Your teeth are minerals and an acid could quite literally dissolve them," Dr Manouchehri told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"When we eat anything, be it breakfast, lunch, snack, sweet things in particular, the bacteria on your teeth metabolize this and turn it into an acid so that you can brush straight away."

She added, "[It's] the exact same concept with vomiting. Obviously, the stomach contents are very acidic. So, if you brush your teeth straight away, you're basically rubbing the acid onto your teeth, which can damage them."

The doctor said that the acidity in the mouth will neutralise over time, but that period can take 30 to 60 minutes for the salivary buffers to act. 

Skipping the brush after throwing up might seem counterintuitive, especially when you want to get rid of the bad taste. But Dr Manouchehri has some tricks to help make the wait more bearable. 

"Things like drinking water [and] chewing sugar-free chewing gum ... will accumulate more saliva so that it can neutralize the acid quicker," she added.

Dr Manouchehri recommends waiting 30-60 minutes after three specific situations before grabbing your toothbrush:  

After throwing up- The urge to brush after vomiting is strong, but your mouth needs time to neutralize the high acidity. 

After Breakfast: Mornings can be hectic, and brushing after breakfast might seem natural. However, waiting allows your body to balance its pH levels. Dr Manouchehri herself understands the desire to freshen up after a meal, so she's developed a routine to balance enjoying breakfast with the proper waiting time. 

After Sweets: This includes sugary drinks and desserts. Sugar feeds bacteria in your mouth, creating acid that needs to be neutralized before brushing.

"So, we eat sweets [and] the bacteria on our teeth also feed on that sweet," Dr Manouchehri said.

To speed up the neutralising process, you can try alcohol-free mouthwash to rinse everything out, sugar-free gum.