Most of our clients understand the benefits of brushing your teeth in the morning, but what about at night? Dinner at the end of a long day, your favorite treat after dinner, and late-night snacking before bedtime can create a dental challenge. You’re tired, and it’s late, and skipping your tooth brushing routine before sleep may be tempting. End of the day exhaustion may make nighttime brushing seem overkill if you’re just going to do it all over again in the morning! If you fight with this thinking, here are some facts to ponder.
Why Nighttime Brushing Matters
Our bodies rely on food and drink to fuel daily activities, support overall health, and provide the nutrients needed to function well. From the time we get up and start our day until we go to bed, eating and digestion give our bodies the building blocks that they need to maintain health and wellness. As an after effect, all that eating and drinking leaves food residue on our teeth, and that can be a problem for oral health.
What’s left behind on our teeth is what bacteria can’t get enough of! While they busily feed on the sugars from food and drinks, they produce acids that attack enamel and irritate gums. If left to continue their work, tooth decay is the result.
A thorough brushing at the end of our day removes much of the daily bacterial plaque buildup before we go to sleep. Think of it this way: bacteria make plaque because plaque protects bacteria. If it’s left for any length of time on the tooth, plaque hardens into tartar. It’s like the bacteria start building with soft bricks that harden over time. Whenever you brush your teeth, you knock down some of those bricks of plaque and stop them from solidifying. Skip your nighttime brushing and the bricks laid down that day are a solid microscopic layer on some of your teeth by the next morning.
Nighttime brushing also cleans the mouth and tongue and improves your breath. It definitely makes your morning breath a lot better than it would be otherwise! If you have a significant other, brushing your teeth at night is a good way to keep them happy.
Brush a Little After the Last Bite
So, it does matter whether you brush your teeth at night. Keep in mind, however, that to get the benefits of brushing does not require that you brush immediately after dinner, your final snack, or nightcap for the day. As an example, anything with tomatoes, fruit, tea, wine, or coffee contains acid. Brushing immediately after enjoying these evening delights can actually harm your enamel. Instead of brushing immediately, rinse your mouth with plain water and wait about 30 minutes before brushing. This allows time for saliva (and the water) to rebalance the pH in your mouth from something acidic to something more neutral. After that has happened, brush for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste.
After the final brushing of the day, make water the only item on the rest of the evening menu. Save any additional thoughts of snacks, soda, juice, and sweet food or drinks for the next day. Give your mouth a welcome break and starve those hungry bacteria!
Don’t Forget the Floss!
Toothbrush bristles, while helpful, are not magical. They regularly miss the tight spaces between teeth and along the gumline. Tooth enamel’s best friends are floss, interdental brushes, or water flossers! They clean the hiding spots for plaque that your toothbrush can’t reach. Some people find nighttime flossing a pain, but it’s really simple, doesn’t take much time, and those few extra moments after brushing often spare your mouth from a lot of plaque buildup by morning.
Keep Good Dental Habits
Here are some small changes your Lakeside Dental team recommends to make the brushing and flossing habit easier to keep:
- Keep your toothbrush and floss readily accessible.
- Start your oral hygiene before you can’t keep your eyes open.
- Use a timer, song, or electric toothbrush feature to reach two minutes of brushing.
- Choose a toothbrush that feels comfortable in your hand.
- Keep a travel toothbrush handy for late evenings away from home.
Don’t be discouraged if you miss out on one night of brushing and flossing; that doesn’t ruin a good habit. Just get back to it on the next night! Regular nighttime brushing makes a real difference over time.
Partner With Lakeside Dental
The team at Lakeside Dental in Folsom encourages all their patients to brush twice a day, floss once a day, and visit your dentist in Folsom for dental exams at least twice a year. We offer practical guidance and compassionate dental care for patients of all ages. As a full-service dental office, we invite you to partner with us to make your dental care feel easier and protect your smile for years to come. Make a consultation appointment today!
