You Should Never Brush Your Teeth Right After Drinking Coffee
Coffee is a popular morning beverage option
While you’re in the clear whether you choose to drink water before or after brushing, you might be wondering if the same flexibility applies when it comes to coffee. Brushing your teeth right after getting your caffeine fix is strongly discouraged. Foods and drinks that are high in acid—coffee is one of them—demineralize the teeth, or soften the enamel of your teeth. Doing anything with your teeth immediately following such as brushing or flossing while the enamel is soft can damage teeth, causing sensitivity or develop weak spots that can lead to cavities. Keep in mind that this only applies to brushing your teeth immediately after finishing your coffee. You can still brush your teeth. After the 30-minute mark, your enamel has re-hardened and won’t be removed by brushing.
Is there an ideal time to wait before drinking water or coffee *after* brushing?
To round out our pressing questions about dental health and morning bevs, we were curious to see if we should wait any specific amount of time after brushing yet before hydrating or caffeinating. After brushing, it is safe to drink water and coffee immediately since the minerals in toothpaste have strengthened, remineralized, and rid the teeth surfaces of bacteria build up. However, for the best taste, you may want to wait 10 minutes to avoid toothpaste-flavored coffee or water. For stain prevention and general oral health, getting professional teeth cleanings twice a year is also key. Your dentist has powerful tools to remove surface stains before they start to migrate into the deeper layers of teeth. Whitening toothpaste is another way to help fight stains and is a strategy, if your teeth can tolerate it without increased sensitivity.