the wost time to brush

thanks for your advice. :) i wil;l now not brush my teeth after being sick. Mouth wash would probably get rid of the vomit taste better anyways.

Jessee I believe that brushing immediately after eating anything acidic (fruit etc) can do damage, remove the enamel etc, so it would make sense that acidic stomach acid would do similar.

Yep, brushing after having any sort of acid in your mouth is a bad idea. Acids soften enamel, so if you brush right after, you end up removing a lot more tooth material. Plus, the damage done by the acid can (to an extent) be reversed if you leave the damaged enamel behind instead of brushing it away. These are some things I usually talk to my patients about, to prevent acid erosion: After vomiting, wait at least 2 hours before brushing. In the meantime, a bicarbonate mouthwash would help to neutralize the acid. And a fluoride mouthwash would help remineralize the damaged enamel. It's not as bad with fruits etc as they're not as acidic so mouthwashes aren't essential. But you should still wait awhile before brushing, and consider at least rinsing out your mouth with water to dilute/wash away the acid.

Thanks vainpot, I have had extensive orthodontics when I was a teenager so I value my teeth (no fillings!). What is a bicarbonate mouthwash? Do I just dissolve a teaspoon or so of bicarb in a glass of water?

I didn't know all this, I'll just use mouthwash in the future. Is it safe to chew gum as well or is that bad?

Hi everyone... To Bluerose: Wow, congrats on having no fillings! Keep up the good work!! Yes, the cheapest and easiest bicarbonate mouthwash you can get is by dissolving 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of warm water. You could also buy the ready-made ones in some stores if you have money to burn. =) To Bide: Gum is good as long as it's sugarless. The good thing about chewing gum is that is stimulates saliva flow. Saliva will help to dilute as well as neutralize some of the acid. Recaldent is really good, 'cause it contains CPP-ACP (which helps to remineralize enamel) but apparently it's a bit expensive. But yeah, any sugarless gum is ok.

thanks for all the advice, I always use sugarless gum without the hard crust, so this is very good to hear.

No worries. =) I'm used to patients who don't care about their teeth until it's too late so it's a nice change to talk to people who are interested in their oral health. A couple more things about acid and dental erosion: Not a lot of people are aware of acids in their food & drinks so they don't take precautions against erosion. Sports drinks are really acidic, and some asthma meds are acidic too. Again, stuff like rinsing with water after using your inhaler, and drinking acidic drinks through a straw can make quite a difference. Okay, I'll stop now. Getting a tad too passionate about my job methinks...

Haha, its good to be passionate about your job vainpot! I do have some acid erosion on my front teeth, and hate them. They bottoms of my front teeth look transparent. Absolutely try to drink through a straw everytime I feel something will be acidic. Will go out and buy some sugarless gum! :)

Hi Rmfer86! Thanks... Passion is good, just I have to remind myself not to care too much. Just to clarify about the drinking through a straw thing: it's meant to minimize contact between teeth and acid. It's also important to not swill the soft drink around in your mouth - straight down is much better for your teeth. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info vainpot :) its really nice of you to help out. Didn't realise sports drinks were acidic btw! Good to know.

No worries Rmfer86. Love to help in any way I can. =) Yep, studies were done and sports drinks have been shown to cause erosion. Some other acidic things to watch out for are wine, cordial and vitamin C tablets (the chewable ones). Many types of tea are also acidic, but I'm not done with my research project so I don't have details on that. Another way of reducing acidity is to eat something with it e.g. having wine/juice with your meal, or wine with cheese. These help to neutralize the acid and also gets saliva flowing so the acids are washed away.

As I read the topics and questions I make a little list of the things im going to reply with. But when I read Vainpot's-You have summed it ALL up. (cant half tell your a dentist-and a good one at it aswell)

Thanks for all the excellent advice vainpot, these are great tips. I am nearly 43 and only have 4 fillings so I am keen to make sure my teeth stay as strong and healthy as possible. :-)

Awww... Thanks Lana83. I'm actually a final-year dental student, so I'm only a 'Baby Dentist' - have only been treating patients for 2 1/2 years. =) Hooha, 4 fillings in a nearly 43-year-old is awesome! Good on you!! Wow, it's so nice to see so many BH members taking care of their dental health. Will try to post more tips when I have the time - the academic year has just started so things are getting busy. Otherwise, feel free to post up any dental questions you ladies have and I'll do my best to answer them as when I can.

Thanks for your contributions vainpot, it's great to have professionals giving great advice! I will try the bi-carb mouth wash, but I was wondering, does it leave your tongue feeling furry?

vainpot, I heard that some people use hydrogen peroxide in a mouth guard for a few minutes every month, to whiten their teeth. Is this safe to do and does it really whiten teeth? If not, what's a good teeth whitener over-the-counter?

Bluerose: Glad to help.=) Re the bicarb mouthrinse, I haven't tried it myself so I'm not sure about furry tongues lol. Might have to test that. Actually, rinsing your mouth with plain ol' water is perfectly fine for most people. Bicarb is more important after vomiting since gastric acid has a much lower pH than fruit juices etc. I'd suggest people who vomit regularly e.g. due to morning sickness consider using bicarb mouthwashes. For everyone else who doesn't vomit regularly: 1. Rinse out your mouth with water. 2. Don't brush for about an hour after exposure to acid. This generally is more than good enough to fight erosion. If you really wanted to do more, you could use a fluoride mouthwash.

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is the active ingredient in some tooth-whitening systems. So the short answer is yes, it does whiten teeth. As for whether or not it is safe, that would depend on how people are using it. If they try mixing up their own hydrogen peroxide 'cocktail' then NO, it's not safe. One of the reasons is because the concentration of H 2 O 2 must be carefully controlled. Too low and it won't work. Too high and H 2 O 2 is corrosive. So in the interests of safety, mad-scientist-DIY-tooth-whitener is a bad idea. On home bleaching products: A study on 23 popular home bleaching products found that all 23 lightened teeth about 2 shades. Other issues were considered but the conclusion was: variations between system are subtle and it comes down to personal preference. Among the products tested were Crest Whitestrips, Colgate Platinum, Zaris etc. In the end, I guess it's like any other product. One brand works for some, not for others. Sorry I can't be more helpful in this aspect.

Was wondering if I should start a thread on tooth whitening and briefly go through some important-ish things. The other threads aboout whitening are a bit hard for me to add to. Dunno. I might. If anyone's actually interested. =s

thanks for all the advice ladies its all so helpful, i want to keep my teeth as long as possible too

vanipot, any inside information on tooth-whitening would be much appreciated!

What I am suggesting is Morning and when we are going to sleep take brush is best and convenient to do other work

Caliber Dental is giving good Affordable Dentist service at NJ more than 20 years by Dr. Bagga

Hi Vainpot, thanks for the very helpful information here. I have been told that I brush too much and am losing enamel as a result. Is there anything that can help with this apart from just less brushing?

We need to prevent the teeth as they are very essential.We must brush our teeth daily twice .Before going to bed it is mandatory to brush them so that no gems will attack at the bed time.More over if you have any problem feel free to go to doctor and have a regular check up.