Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Health, Food And Drink
Brenna Cooper
When you wake up in the morning, at what point do you brush your teeth?
Are you eager to brush away the germs of the previous night? Or do you prefer to wait until you've had your morning coffee so you don't spend the day with stale breath?
Most of us don't really pay much attention to the order of our morning routine, it's more likely that we're trying to snooze our alarm for as long as possible instead of worrying about what point we'll scrub our gnashers.
However, it turns out there is actually a right and wrong answer when it comes to the time you clean your teeth - with a dentist revealing that your morning habits could lead to your pearly whites turning yellow.
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According to dentist Dr Shaadi Manouchehri - who goes by @dr.shaadi.manouchehri on Instagram - brushing your teeth straight after downing a cup of coffee will damage the enamel.
"Never brush your teeth after you've just had coffee," she continued, revealing that brushing after having consuming anything acidic is bad for your dental health.
"Coffee is quite acidic... if you go and brush your teeth straightaway, you're rubbing the acid onto the tooth and wearing the tooth away.
"Wait at least 30 to 60 minutes - you don't actually have to brush your teeth, just rinse with some mouthwash or drink water."
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The reason why brushing after drinking coffee is frowned upon is because the acidity is one of the main causes of enamel erosion - which leads to your teeth having a stained appearance.
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Avoiding brushing straight after drinking coffee wasn't the only advice that Dr Manouchehri gave either, with the dentist urging viewers not to brush straight after eating your breakfast or vomiting either.
"Don't brush your teeth after you have breakfast," she explained, adding that why it's better to brush prior to eating.
"Brush them beforehand because if you brush straight away you're going to be damaging your enamel."
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She continued: "When you first wake up in the morning you have quite a lot of bacteria in the mouth and that needs to be brushed off before you have your breakfast."
Understandably it may be harder to avoid brushing your teeth after vomiting, but it's for the best.
"The contents of the stomach are extremely acidic and your teeth are made up of minerals," Dr Manouchehri said.
"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're rubbing the acid onto the tooth even more. So, wait at least 30 to 60 minutes before you brush your teeth."
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And for anyone who can't bare the thought of waiting that long, invest in mouthwash as a way to freshen up before following with a drink of water to help 'neutralise the acid quicker'.