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The Best Brush of the Day

Home » The Best Brush of the Day
  • Cassinelli, Shanker & Associates Orthodontics
  • November 11, 2020

Imagine that you’re only going to brush your teeth once tomorrow. Don’t worry, we know you would never skimp on your dental hygiene like that, but let’s just pretend for a moment. When would be the best time to brush? When you wake up? During the day? Or perhaps before you go to bed?

Actually, whenever you choose to brush, you’ll receive important overall dental benefits as well as specific benefits tied to the time of day. Let’s explore your daily schedule to see why.

Brushing in the Morning

Brushing when you first jump out of bed produces several positive results.

  • Cleaning plaque from your teeth

Plaque is a sticky film made up of oral bacteria, food particles, and saliva. As you sleep, these oral bacteria multiply and produce acids which attack the minerals in your enamel, leaving weak spots which, over time, can become cavities. Brushing removes these bacteria and acids from your enamel before they cause serious harm.

Moreover, plaque hardens if it’s left undisturbed, turning into tartar in a relatively short time. And once plaque becomes tartar, it must be removed by a dental professional. Brushing first thing in the morning removes this plaque buildup and helps prevent tartar from forming.

  • Fresh breath

That bacterial growth we mentioned? It’s also responsible for morning breath. If nothing else, brushing when you wake up means greeting a fresh day with fresh breath, and that’s reason enough to pick up your brush in the morning.

Brushing During the Day

Brushing after meals and snacks also has a lot to recommend it.

  • “Leftovers” lead to cavities

Foods, especially foods rich in sugar and carbohydrates, are converted by oral bacteria into acids which weaken enamel and lead to cavities. When food particles remain in the mouth after a meal, bacteria have more time and more fuel to manufacture these acids.

  • Acidic foods also affect your teeth

If you have eaten something acidic, such as citrus fruits, sodas, or pickled anything, the acids from these foods can temporarily weaken the mineral strength of your enamel. But brushing immediately after eating or drinking acidic foods can damage weakened enamel. Better to rinse well with water and brush after half an hour or so.

  • When you wear braces

One of the first things you discover when you get your braces is that you might need to brush more often. In fact, it’s best to brush after every meal and even every snack while you’re in braces.

Why? First, because no one wants to smile with food particles sticking to brackets and wires. Even more important, though, the filmy plaque which sticks to your enamel can be harder to remove with those brackets and wires in the way. Since plaque causes weakened enamel and cavities, brushing thoroughly is more important than ever when you wear braces.

  • When you wear aligners

Wearing clear aligners means you don’t need to worry about food trapped in brackets or cleaning around wires. After all, you take them out when you eat. But this doesn’t mean you are home free. Brushing after every meal is also a good idea when you wear aligners.

Our teeth have an organic way to help wash away food particles, acids, and bacteria between brushings—saliva! Your aligners, while covering your teeth, decrease their exposure to saliva. It’s really important, then, to make sure you brush after eating. Otherwise, food particles and acids which remain on your teeth after eating are trapped in your aligners, increasing the risk of enamel erosion and decay.

Whether you wear braces or aligners, you’re especially at risk for food particles sticking around your teeth and in your orthodontic appliances. Talk to Drs. Cassinelli and Shanker about when to brush your teeth after eating and how to keep your braces or aligners clean throughout the day.

Brushing at Night

Growing up, you probably received regular reminders to brush before bedtime—for several really good reasons:

  • Saliva production slows while you sleep

During the day, saliva helps to wash away food particles and neutralize acidity in our mouths. It also contains proteins and minerals which help keep tooth enamel strong. But as we sleep, saliva production slows dramatically, and our bodies can’t remove bacteria and acids as effectively.

  • Food particles fuel bacterial growth

If you haven’t brushed since morning, you’ve accumulated a whole day’s worth of food particles from meals and snacks. Remember, oral bacteria use the sugars and carbs we eat as fuel to produce the acids which attack our tooth enamel throughout the night.

  • Brushing helps prevent both of these problems

Brushing your teeth before bed not only cleans away the accumulated food particles of the day, but also eliminates the plaque and bacteria which would have a much easier time sticking to your teeth without that daytime saliva flow to wash them away.

So, When’s the Best Time to Brush?

In the morning, during the day, at night—there are solid advantages to brushing any time of day. The question isn’t so much when to brush as how often you should brush.

While many dental professionals consider brushing before bedtime as the most important brush of the day, brushing at least two full minutes, at least twice during a 24 hour period, is a necessity for basic dental hygiene, along with flossing at least once a day.

When you’ve been eating sugary snacks, when you’re showing signs of gingivitis or getting more than your share of cavities, when you want to reduce the chance of plaque and tartar buildup, or when you simply want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to maintain your overall dental health, brushing after meals is also highly recommended.

And when you wear braces or aligners, frequent brushing (and flossing) is the very best way to make sure your teeth stay clean and cavity-free.

Talk to Drs. Cassinelli and Shanker about your brushing habits at your next appointment at our West Chester or Cincinnati, OH office. No need to use your imagination to plan your best brushing schedule. We have all the answers you need to help you brush your way to your best—and healthiest—smile!

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We recognize that all our patients are unique and deserve to receive orthodontic care that reflects their individual needs. We are committed to working with you and your family to create a comfortable, stress-free, and rewarding orthodontic experience every time you visit.

Grace C.
Everyone in the office has been professional and Bev at the front desk is exceptional. I sat with my son during treatment thinking about how she is above and beyond wonderful. I am grateful for her attention to detail, consideration of my circumstances, communication across the team of personnel to make sure I had what I wanted and all of it infused with kindness.
Response from the owner:Your comments are so sweet. We are so glad that you've had a wonderful experience. We strive to provide excellent service and care to each of our patients!
Shanti H.
Just started the orthodontic procedure. The experience is excellent and the cost is reasonable
Response from the owner:Thank you. We are happy to be able to help you get the smile you want 😀
Sarah H.
This orthodontic team has been absolutely wonderful! Highly recommend for your orthodontic needs!
Response from the owner:Thank you, Sarah! We're thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful experience with our team. Your recommendation means a lot to us!
Triplets2010
All 3 of my children have gone here for a couple of years and they are amazing! Great customer service, top notch orthodontic care!
Response from the owner:Thank you for the 5-star review! We are so happy to hear you had a great experience with our staff and doctors. We love creating beautiful smiles!
Ashley P.
Very clean office. The staff was prepared for our visit, like having a new patient name board and plenty to do in the waiting room for littles. Staff was friendly and facility was very neat. We enjoyed our visit and didn't feel pressured to buy any treatment options.
Response from the owner:So glad you enjoyed your visit, and thank you for the wonderful review.
Jamie I.
Our daughter and son were patients several years ago. And now another daughter is a new patient with the office. We have had a great experience. Friendly and professional staff. Great communicators. Reasonably priced! Clean and warm environment. Highly recommend!
Response from the owner:Thank you for your review. It is our pleasure to provide excellent care for your family. We are so glad you chose our office again.
Valerie A.
My experience for my consultation was an experience that I’ve never had before. From the moment I arrived for my visit, until I was done, the staff was great and made me feel very comfortable. Thank you so much for such a wonderful experience!
Response from the owner:So happy to hear this. Thanks for the great review.
David B.
Friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Office was immaculate. Great experience!
Response from the owner:Thanks. Appreciate the compliments!
Tasha F.
I wish I could give more than five stars! I truly enjoyed being a patient at Cassinelli, Shanker & Associates. Being able to go through this process with both of my sons made it even more special. The staff knew us by name and made us feel welcome at every appointment. I couldn’t recommend a better place to get braces 😁
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the great review! It has been our pleasure treating your family. We have the best doctors and staff and love what we do!
Slice S.
Adult Invisalign, a 16 month process, I’m so glad I did it! Organized, we’ll communicated process and my providers were all amazing!
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the 5-star review! We love what we do. It has been our pleasure having you as our patient!
Christin M.
They are such a phenomenal practice with caring and attentive staff! The orthodontists are knowledgeable and kind! We have had such a positive experience working with them!
Response from the owner:Thank you for the 5-star review! We have 4 of the best orthodontists and an amazing team. We are so happy to hear you agree!
Elisa C.
My experience I had with this office was excellent. They went over and beyond to make sure my child was comfortable was OK nothing was hurting her. I will always recommend you take your child to this dentist office for any dental work done on your children.
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words and 5-star review! We pride ourselves in offering the highest quality in patient care and customer satisfaction. It has been our please treating your daughter.
melissa D.
Super nice staff! I was in and out of there with all my questions answered. I get my Invisalign put in in two weeks and I am very excited.
Response from the owner:Thank you so much! We are so happy to join you on your journey to a new beautiful smile!
Crystal D.
We have been extremely happy with the level of care our daughter has received. Everyone in the office is friendly and knowledgeable. Our time in the office was quick and efficient. They estimated the length of her treatment plan to be 18 months and she finished a full six months early. We highly recommend Cassinelli and Shanker to anyone entering the orthodontics phase.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your feedback and excellent review! We love hearing you had a great experience. Your daughter was a star patient and it has been our pleasure treating her.
Kiersten G.
Friendly staff, easy experience. Went in for my 8 year old who is not losing baby teeth and has no room for any that can come in. Dr. set out a clear plan for the near future and things that may be farther out.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your 5-star review! We value patient relationships and are confident we have the best orthodontists in the city!
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