Brush your teeth after dinner

[Tony1968]

I have found that when I brush my teeth after dinner, I'm far less likely to want to eat something for the rest of the evening. This may not work for everyone, but if you haven't given it a try, why not see if it helps you.

[Janet]

I've tried this and I'd say it works about 50% of the time. It depends on how late I eat and how much I want that extra snack lol. That said, it certainly can help, cause after you use toothpaste, everything pretty much tastes gross haha. :P

[M-Stark334]

I find drinking peppermint tea or chewing mint gum can also help.

[enviroTodd]

I have found that when I brush my teeth after dinner, I'm far less likely to want to eat something for the rest of the evening. This may not work for everyone, but if you haven't given it a try, why not see if it helps you.

This may be a good idea, but make sure that you wait at least a half hour after you have eaten before you brush your teeth. Otherwise you could actually start to wear down the enamel on your teeth. When you eat, the acids in your foods weaken the enamel on your teeth. If you brush your teeth right after dinner, then you are scrubbing them and using the abrasive of the toothpaste (there are tiny abrasive scrubbers in toothpaste) when they have been softened the most in a day. This is only a temporary softening so if you wait a half hour, it will have mostly hardened up again.

Unlike what toothpaste companies might tell you, chewing gum isn't all that good for your teeth, either. It may encourage saliva production and it may help to eliminate small bits of food from your teeth, but it also exposes them to the chemicals in the gum - such as sugar or artificial sweeteners - that are not good for your teeth and can encourage cavities, particularly between the teeth where it is hardest to get rid of those tiny particles. Another thing that encourages the rinsing of your mouth (like saliva production) and gets rid of food particles is drinking water. That's far better for your teeth, anyway!

[brightstar]

Thanks for sharing that EnviroTodd! I had no idea that I was damaging my teeth by brushing them right after I have my lunch at work!

[TaraNorth]

I couldn't agree more enviroTodd. You also shouldn't brush your teeth directly before you eat either. I would stick with having mint tea or actually chewing on a mint leaf after dinner if you're looking to freshen up your mouth and get the mint benefit.

[Tony1968]

Well...I had no idea that that was bad. (opps emoticon phase) Guess that blows my tip out of the water lol. Alright...so let me rephrase...brushing your teeth after you eat is a good idea as long as you wait at least a half hour after you eat so you don’t cause damage to your teeth

[M-Stark334]

OMG! I didn't realize that chewing gum could be so bad for my teeth, even the sugarless variety. Thanks for the heads up enviroTodd!