There’s been some debate on whether it’s better to brush your teeth before your breakfast or after, or whether you should brush after lunch.

Studies have shown that there is a negligible difference when you brush in the morning. So, you can relax and choose the best time to brush your teeth whether it is before or after your breakfast. Most importantly, when you brush your teeth you must do it effectively.

I am a fan of flossing and rinsing (just with water is fine) before your brushing but please try not to rinse after you brush.  Make sure you wipe off the toothpaste from your lips.

Brushing your teeth after lunch. It’s optional. I do it whenever I can only because it feels nice and fresh. If you a worried about disease-control, you will be fine as long as you brush in the morning and the evening.

The night brush just before bed is the MOST IMPORTANT. Never skip it. 

The key is to be consistent and stick to a routine that is at least twice a day. Three times a day is good too. Five or more times a days may be a bit excessive.

Most important thing here is to stay away from ultra processed foods - foods in packages like biscuits, cookies and biscuits, cereal etc. These foods are often high in simple sugars and feed the mouth microbiome and they create an environment for rapid plaque build-up.

Instead, focus on raw food, fruit and vegetables. The macrofibres along with the forced extra chewing you have to do with these foods tend to stimulate more saliva and disrupt the plaque from sticking onto your teeth.

I learnt a very interesting fact from a patient of mine just the other day. In Denmark, it is highly usual that toothbrushing is assisted or supervised by parents until the child is the age of eleven. In most other societies we have understood that teeth cleaning is supervised until the age of seven.

The reason for the age cutoff of eleven is that they have found that the dexterity of a child is not fully developed enough to brush let alone floss teeth properly.

The practice I use with my own children is to brush with an electric toothbrush. I use a biomimetic toothpaste on them and they don’t ever rinse out the toothpaste. I brush for them first and model the technique and then they have another round on their own. 

I assist with the flossing completely and this is done before the brushing.

Also, be mindful about your children’s diet. Ultra-processed foods are sticky and sugary which means a faster rate of harmful plaque build-up. 

No. At the end of the day, the technique of brushing counts for more than the hardness of the bristles.

Modern toothbrushes have been made softer and finer to reduce the risk of toothbrush-related damage to the teeth. 

I prefer the electric toothbrush because it allows me to control only one variable which is the pressure. Most of the better range electric toothbrushes have pressure indicators and will alert you if you press too hard.

Super important.

Smokers are exposed to contaminants that will wreck havoc with their inflammatory system. That’s why they are so susceptible to gum disease and heart disease - both inflammatory diseases.

In gum disease, inflammation is further exacerbated by the presence of plaque. If you are a smoker this inflammatory process is elevated and the risk of severity is just greater.

Great oral hygiene will reduce the trigger in smokers but they will still be at a higher risk.

It’s best to stop smoking, but you already know that.