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Brushing teeth before bed. 7 Nighttime Tips for Improving Your Oral Health

Are you brushing your teeth before bed? Discover the importance of nighttime oral hygiene and get 7 tips to keep your mouth healthy while you sleep.

Prioritize Nighttime Brushing

Brushing your teeth before bed is crucial for maintaining good oral health. Dentists recommend brushing immediately after dinner and then again right before bedtime, as this helps protect against plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum disease. The eight-hour period while you’re sleeping is when bacteria can accumulate on your teeth, so nighttime brushing is essential.

Proper Brushing Technique

When brushing your teeth, be sure to use the right technique. Dentists advise brushing back and forth gently in short strokes, starting with the outer tooth surfaces, then moving to the inner surfaces, and finally the chewing surfaces. To clean the backs of your front teeth, use the tip of the brush and stroke gently up and down.

The Benefits of an Electric Toothbrush

Switching to an electric toothbrush can be more effective at removing plaque than a manual toothbrush. The rotating and oscillating movement of the electric toothbrush head removes plaque more efficiently. Choose an electric toothbrush that is comfortable to hold, easy to use, and has a rotating-oscillating head.

Don’t Forget to Floss

Flossing is crucial for removing food particles and plaque that brushing may miss. If this debris is left on the teeth, bacteria will increase throughout the night and feed off them while you sleep. Flossing only at night is fine for most people, but if you’re prone to gum disease or tartar buildup, dentists recommend flossing in the morning as well.

The Importance of Mouthwash

Rinsing with a therapeutic mouthwash before bed can help keep your teeth free of plaque and cavities and your gums safe from gingivitis. Therapeutic mouthwashes contain special ingredients that strengthen teeth and help treat certain oral health conditions. Avoid commercial, over-the-counter mouthwashes, as they are designed to mask bad breath and won’t do much to contribute to your oral health.

Addressing Teeth Grinding

If you experience worn tooth enamel, increased tooth sensitivity, or torn cheek tissue, you may be grinding your teeth in your sleep. Though dentists can’t stop you from doing it, they can make you a mouth guard that you can wear at night to protect your teeth from the effects of grinding.

Regular Dental Visits

Scheduling regular dental checkups and cleanings is essential for maintaining good oral health over the long run. Your dentist and hygienist will help you keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy, and preventive care and maintenance are just as important as good daytime and nighttime oral hygiene.

How often should you brush your teeth before bed?

Dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day – once immediately after dinner and again right before bedtime. This helps protect against plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum disease during the eight-hour period while you’re sleeping.

What’s the best way to brush your teeth?

The best way to brush your teeth is to use a gentle, back-and-forth motion in short strokes. Start with the outer tooth surfaces, then move to the inner surfaces, and finally the chewing surfaces. To clean the backs of your front teeth, use the tip of the brush and stroke gently up and down.

Why is an electric toothbrush better than a manual one?

Electric toothbrushes are more effective at removing plaque than manual toothbrushes because of their rotating and oscillating movement. The electric toothbrush head removes plaque more efficiently, helping to better prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

How often should you floss your teeth?

For most people, flossing only at night is sufficient to remove food particles and plaque buildup. However, if you’re prone to gum disease or tartar buildup, dentists recommend flossing in the morning as well.

What type of mouthwash should you use before bed?

When choosing a mouthwash to use before bed, opt for a therapeutic mouthwash that contains ingredients to strengthen teeth and help treat oral health conditions. Avoid commercial, over-the-counter mouthwashes that are designed only to mask bad breath.

Can a dentist help with teeth grinding?

Yes, if you’re experiencing issues like worn tooth enamel, increased sensitivity, or torn cheek tissue due to teeth grinding, your dentist can provide you with a custom-made mouth guard to wear at night and protect your teeth.

How often should you see a dentist?

Scheduling regular dental checkups and cleanings, typically every six months, is essential for maintaining good oral health over the long run. Your dentist and hygienist can help keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy through professional care and guidance on proper home hygiene.

7 Nighttime Tips for Improving Your Oral Health

By Robyn Moreno

Reviewed:

Fact-Checked

A lot can happen to your mouth in eight hours — especially when you’re sleeping and bacteria are gathering on your teeth. But don’t let the thought of nasty plaque, cavities, tartar, or gingivitis stop you from getting a good night’s rest. There are many ways to maintain your oral health while you sleep. Here are eight tips to get you — and your mouth — through the night.

1. Brush before bed. Brushing your teeth before you go to sleep at night helps protect against plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum disease. If you are particularly susceptible to cavities and gum disease, dentists recommend that you brush immediately after dinner, then again right before bedtime.

2. Use good form. According to dentists, the best way to clean your teeth is to brush back and forth gently in short strokes. Brush the outer tooth surfaces first, then the inner tooth surfaces, followed by the chewing surfaces. To clean the backs of your front teeth, use the tip of the brush and stroke gently up and down.

3. Switch to an electric toothbrush. The rotating and oscillating movement of the electric toothbrush head removes plaque from your teeth more efficiently than a regular toothbrush. Be sure to choose an electric toothbrush that’s comfortable to hold, easy to use, and has the rotating-oscillating head.

4. Don’t just brush — floss! Flossing removes food particles and plaque buildup while it’s still soft. If this debris stays on the teeth, bacteria will increase throughout the night and feed off them while you’re sleeping. Furthermore, if the plaque is allowed to harden, it will turn into tartar, and tartar can only be removed by a hygienist or dentist during a professional cleaning. Flossing only at night is fine for most people, but if you’re prone to gum disease or tartar buildup, dentists recommend that you floss in the morning as well.

5. Rinse with mouthwash. Mouthwash isn’t just for fresh breath — therapeutic mouth rinses contain special ingredients that strengthen teeth and help treat certain oral health conditions. Rinsing with a therapeutic mouthwash before bed will help keep your teeth free of plaque and cavities and your gums safe from gingivitis. On the contrary, most commercial, over-the-counter mouthwashes — known as cosmetic mouthwashes — are designed to mask bad breath and they won’t do much to contribute to your oral health. Talk to your dentist about which mouthwash is right for you.

6. Be aware of teeth grinding. If you experience worn tooth enamel, increased tooth sensitivity, or torn cheek tissue, you may be grinding your teeth in your sleep. Though dentists can’t stop you from doing it, they can make you a mouth guard that you can wear at night to protect your teeth from the effects of grinding.

7. See your dentist regularly. Be sure to schedule regular dental checkups and cleanings. Your dentist and hygienist will help you keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy over the long run. Remember, preventive care and maintenance are just as important for a healthy mouth as good daytime and nighttime oral hygiene.

This section created and produced exclusively by the editorial staff of EverydayHealth.com. © 2008 EverydayHealth.com; all rights reserved.

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How Bad Is It to Not Brush Your Teeth Before Bed?

We get it: Your nighttime rituals are jam-packed with face washing, skin care regimes, stretching, jammies selection… or, let’s be real, rolling into bed after a night out. Sometimes you might forget to brush your teeth.

For most people, brushing their teeth is a way to keep cavities at bay — with the pleasant side effects of a brighter smile and fresh breath. But we’ve all occasionally skipped the act before hitting the sack, whether out of pure laziness or extreme exhaustion. So how bad is it, really?

The short answer: It doesn’t matter if you brush your teeth right before bed. The most important thing is that you’re brushing your teeth twice in a 24-hour period, says Kimberly Harms, DDS, a dentist and spokesperson for the American Dental Association (ADA).

Here’s what’s happening in your mouth: A film of plaque is constantly building up thanks to the bacteria that live there, and it takes about 24 hours to mature. (That fuzzy feeling in your mouth the morning after you forget to brush? It’s alive!)

The bacteria produce acid throughout the day, and even more when you’re eating, which is why you want to get rid of the film at least twice per day — any less and the acid byproducts may eat into your enamel and cause cavities.

The longer the film sits on your teeth and the more food the bacteria feed on, the more time you’ll spend cringing in the dentist’s chair later on.

Speaking of which, dentists do recommend brushing when you wake up and before you go to sleep — mostly for the sake of forming a habit.

Plus, morning-after dragon breath is real. Brushing before bed is simply an act of kindness toward your bedmate, roommate, or anyone you encounter.

As it turns out, brushing in the space between dinner and bedtime is technically even better for your teeth than brushing right before bed.

That’s because it gives the fluoride in your toothpaste more time to strengthen your teeth and build up their barrier to acid before you go to sleep, says Denis Kinane, BDS, PhD, Dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine.

But don’t head to the bathroom right after you eat: Dinner is a time of peak acid exposure, which softens the surface layer of your enamel, says Yanfang Ren, DDS, PhD.

Immediately going for your toothbrush will remove the softened enamel and cause erosive tooth wear, so wait at least 30 minutes after dinner before you brush up.

And avoid snacking after that — bacteria feeds off of any carbohydrates (we’re not just talking about bread, they’re in nearly every food). If you want to get rid of extra acid and sugar right after you eat, rinse your mouth with some water.

The absence of our antibacterial saliva at night while we sleep means we’re extra vulnerable to cavity-causing agents and gum disease, Harms says, but don’t stress if you forget to brush every once in a great while.

Ren says it takes a long time for plaque to calcify (a fancy way to say “turn dangerous”) and brushing enough should remove day-old plaque — just up your brushing time from 2 minutes to 4, and you should be okay. And don’t forget to floss.

Ingesting carbs throughout the day also leaves people more prone to cavities. “If you snack all day long, the bacteria wake up and start producing acid every time you ingest any type of a carbohydrate,” Harms says.

During a typical meal, your saliva levels are higher, working to protect your teeth and aid in digestion. But as you graze throughout the day (or even slowly sip a cup of coffee), those repeated “exposures” to food give bacteria a meal every time, leading to more acid on your gleaming teeth.

  • Brush twice in 24 hours. The ADA recommends brushing your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time. (2 minutes is longer than you think!)
  • Use a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride significantly improves dental health to keep those chompers strong.
  • Use a toothbrush that works for you. If you have any mobility issues or have trouble with a manual brush, try an electric version.
  • Replace your toothbrush. Every 3 to 4 months is a good time frame unless the bristles are bent or you drop it in the toilet.
  • Don’t scrub too hard. If you’re flattening out the bristles on the regular, take a lighter touch to prevent damaging your enamel and gums.
  • Floss at least once a day. If you’re not doing this, you’re missing a ton of gross stuff in between your teeth wreaking havoc, and stinking up your breath.
  • Rinse with water. Rinsing your mouth with water after eating instead of brushing immediately allows for the acids from food to go away before brushing.

The most important thing to remember: It doesn’t matter exactly when you brush your teeth, so long as you head into the night without bacteria (and the food they feed on) in your mouth.

Just be sure to brush those pearly whites twice daily and floss to get the bacteria out from between your teeth and prevent gum problems, tooth decay, and sensitivity. And try to cut back on grazing all day — and maybe that second cup of coffee — to avoid feeding the mouth monsters within.

A few reasons to brush your teeth before bed

A few reasons to brush your teeth before bed – Sculpture Dental Clinic

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How to get there

  • 1) When we brush our teeth before going to bed, caries prevention occurs due to the fact that plaque accumulated on the teeth during the day is removed. Therefore, it is important to clean your teeth of all food debris before going to bed.
  • 2) Neglecting to brush your teeth can cause inflammation and bleeding of tissues, so brushing your teeth before bed is a good way to prevent gum disease. If you brush your teeth before bed, you prevent tartar buildup.
  • 3) Teeth cleaning – prevention of unpleasant odors, which are formed due to the accumulation of bacteria and provoke the appearance of bad breath.
  • 4) Brushing your teeth helps you lose weight and not gain weight, and this is another reason to pay due attention to the condition of your teeth. The fact is that brushing your teeth will psychologically stop you from overeating at night and, in addition, you become elementarily sorry for the effort spent to repeat the procedure again.
  • 5) One of the most important reasons to brush your teeth is to protect yourself from heart disease. Our body is a single whole, thus, the health of the cardiovascular system depends on the health of the teeth. Bacteria that form plaque and calculus reach the arteries and cause blood clots.

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Why brush your teeth, what will happen if you don’t brush your teeth for a long time

Publication date

07/03/2019

Update date

09/30/2022

Reading time

7 minutes

Have you ever thought about why brush your teeth, and even twice a day – in the morning and at night, and how in general home hygiene is associated with the appearance of caries? In fact, you need to arm yourself with a paste and a brush not only so that your breath becomes fresh and your teeth are not yellow. Why even brush your teeth?

The hygienists of our Center for Modern Dentistry on Baumanskaya in Moscow can say for sure – you need to brush your teeth regularly and efficiently, and once every 6 months you need to undergo professional oral hygiene. Read this article and find out why brushing your teeth is so important?

Why brush your teeth

Plaque forms on the surface of the teeth all the time. It is made up of saliva, food particles, and microorganisms that produce acids. They are the cause of the destruction of enamel and the appearance of caries. The only way to save your teeth from their effects is to remove plaque, that is, thoroughly clean your teeth and mouth. But that’s not the only reason to brush your teeth.

Good oral hygiene benefits

  • Caries prevention. Microbes and food particles stuck in the interdental spaces negatively affect the enamel, gradually destroying it.
  • Odor removal. Gases emitted by bacteria have a very unpleasant odour. In addition, food particles left in the oral cavity begin to decompose over time. As a result, bad breath appears, and thorough brushing of the teeth perfectly freshens the breath.
  • Enamel remineralization. The use of strengthening toothpastes with a mineralizing effect will help to strengthen the enamel and make the teeth less susceptible to acids.
  • Health and soft tissue massage. The stability of the teeth directly depends on the condition of the gums, and daily cleaning serves to prevent inflammation in soft tissues and improves the general condition of the oral cavity.
  • Disease prevention. Microorganisms living in the oral cavity can cause ENT diseases such as tonsillitis. Poor hygiene will contribute to this.

Why brush your teeth at night

At night, the human body rests, and its main systems go into “sleep” mode. The salivary gland is no exception, so in the morning we feel dry mouth and a great desire to drink. This is because during sleep, saliva is practically not secreted, which means that it does not perform its important functions:

  • does not wash away food particles and bacteria from the surface of the teeth
  • does not help regulate pH (acid-base balance) in the mouth

Did you brush your teeth before bed? This means that they have accumulated a plaque accumulated during the day, particles of food, as well as microorganisms that will eat them with pleasure until the morning. In such a comfortable environment, colonies of bacteria will quickly form. All night long, they will emit enamel-damaging acids, as well as gases that cause bad breath in the morning. All this can be avoided by thoroughly brushing your teeth after the last meal.

If you have to choose between the mandatory brushing of your teeth in the morning or before bed, then give preference to the latter option. During the day, saliva, solid foods and water will help you cope with plaque and bacteria, and at night your teeth become defenseless.

What can happen if you brush your teeth irregularly or poorly

  • Caries will appear. Plaque on teeth constantly attracts food particles and bacteria. If you do not brush your teeth, microorganisms will feel so comfortable that on the third day their number in the oral cavity will exceed the entire population of the Earth. All these bacteria will begin to secrete acids, which will gradually destroy the enamel. So the infection will penetrate the tooth, and caries will begin.
  • The color of the teeth will change. All products, even green tea, contain dyes. Because of them, the plaque is pigmented, that is, stained, and the teeth darken as a result. Professional oral hygiene will help restore their natural shade.
  • Tartar forms faster. The soft film on the enamel mineralizes over time and turns into tartar. In fact, this is an inevitable process, since it is impossible to remove all plaque from the surface of each tooth even with the simultaneous use of a toothbrush, irrigator and floss. But those who brush their teeth thoroughly and regularly at home have fewer hard deposits and they form more slowly.
  • There will be bad breath. Plaque microbes emit gases with a very unpleasant odor. If it is bad to remove the biofilm from the surface of the teeth, then you can forget about fresh breath.
  • Inflamed gums. Gradually, tartar penetrates under the gums, and if they are not removed with ultrasound, then over time, an inflammatory process will begin in the soft tissues – bleeding, soreness and bad breath will appear.
  • Teeth will become sensitive. If you do not pay attention to inflammation of the gums, over time, the soft tissues will cease to be elastic, their decline will begin, and the teeth will seem longer, because their roots will be exposed. At this point, you will have to exclude from the diet all sweet, salty, sour, cold and hot, as the sensitivity of the teeth will increase.
  • Teeth will become unstable. Due to a strong inflammatory process, the tissue that holds the teeth in the socket is destroyed. They become unstable and over time can simply fall out.

Even the wrong movements when brushing your teeth and excessive pressure on the toothbrush can lead to abrasion of the enamel and the appearance of defects on it. Seek help from a hygienist and he will teach you the correct technique for brushing your teeth. This is an excellent prevention of caries and other diseases of the oral cavity.

How to brush your teeth properly

It is very important to brush your teeth properly at any age, as health directly depends on high-quality and regular oral hygiene. Therefore, dentists teach the correct technique of brushing both adults and children, because the child must form a habit.

What is the correct angle to hold the brush? Where should you start? What movements are needed for the incisors, and which ones for the chewing teeth? The hygienist knows the answers to all these questions, therefore, in order to avoid mistakes, be sure to visit this specialist. He will give individual recommendations, taking into account the characteristics of your dental system, and will clearly demonstrate everything.

However, there are a few requirements that everyone can adhere to:

  • use a new brush every 3 months
  • change toothpaste regularly
  • do not use a hard brush
  • do not brush your teeth for more than 3 minutes
  • brush your teeth twice a day

At the same time, for home hygiene, it is recommended to use not only a toothbrush and paste, but also floss (dental floss) and an irrigator. They will help make oral and dental care more thorough, and prevention more effective.

Dentists and hygienists at the Center for Contemporary Dentistry will teach you and your children the correct technique for brushing your teeth. Our specialists will conduct an examination, tell you everything about the features of your dentition, show what you need to pay special attention to, and also give recommendations on oral care.