Dentist shares when you should never brush your teeth

A dentist has warned against brushing your teeth in three specific scenarios.

Dr Shaadi Manouchehri (@dr.shaadi.manouchehri) turned to Instagram with three little-known facts when it comes to keeping your mouth healthy.

"This is the only time you'll catch me telling you not to brush your teeth," she jokingly told her 6.6 million viewers.

According to Dr Manouchehri, brushing your teeth straight after a morning coffee will actually rub the acid onto the tooth and "wear the tooth away" due to the coffee's acidity – "especially if you add milk or sugar."

She advised to wait at least 30 to 60 minutes before brushing, or simply "rinse with mouthwash or drink water."

Another pointer is to not brush your teeth after breakfast, as "when you first wake up in the morning you have quite a lot of bacteria in the mouth and that needs to be brushed off before you have your breakfast."

Last, but not least, Dr Manouchehri advised against brushing straight after vomiting.

"The contents of the stomach are extremely acidic and your teeth are made up of minerals," Dr Manouchehri explained.

"So, when the contents of the stomach have come into the mouth, then the mouth is very acidic. And if you brush straight away, you're rubbing the acid onto the tooth even more. So, wait at least 30 to 60 minutes before you brush your teeth."

Using mouthwash and sipping water while you wait to brush will help "neutralise the acid quicker".

Speaking of teeth, scientists are gearing up for human trials for a game-changing tooth-growing drug.

Molecular biologist and dentist Katsu Takahashi developed the first-of-its-kind drug by deactivating the uterine sensitization-associated gene-1 (USAG-1) protein, which is known to stop tooth growth. He has been working on tooth regeneration for almost 20 years.

"We want to do something to help those who are suffering from tooth loss or absence," Takahashi explained. "While there has been no treatment to date providing a permanent cure, we feel that people's expectations for tooth growth are high."

If proven successful, the drug could become widely available as soon as 2030.

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