The Importance Of Brushing Before Bed

What’s your before bed routine? To relax, many people end up taking some time to themselves to get ready for the next day. This can include setting out clothing, packing lunches, and double checking alarms. Others settle into bed with the television on, with a good book, or listening to quiet music. Many people try to brush their teeth before bed, but sometimes you get caught up in that fun movie or that thrilling book and end up falling asleep without taking the time to brush before bed. It might not seem like a big deal to skip over brushing once or twice before bed, but there’s an important reason that we take the time to brush our teeth before falling into a REM cycle. To learn more about the importance of brushing before bed, take the time to read a blog from a dentist at Lifetime Smiles.

Two Reasons It’s Important To Brush Before Bed

When it comes to relaxing before bed, it might seem easier to pass out without so much as even making your way to the bathroom, but it’s not the best idea. These two reasons will help you determine why it’s important to brush before bed, and hopefully, you’ll add brushing to your nightly routine, so you can be proud of those pearly whites.

Eliminate Snacking

The first reason it’s important to brush before bed is because it eliminates snacking. Once you’ve brushed your teeth, you won’t have the desire to eat some homemade cookies or snack on some tasty chips. By brushing before you go to bed, you won’t feel that need to consume some snacks and thus will be able to regulate your weight a little better. When you eat dinner, it’s important to wait 30 minutes until you brush your teeth. Dinnertime is when the acid exposure is at its highest, which softens the enamel. If you brush right after dinner, you’ll remove the protective enamel that’s been softened and create erosive tooth wear.

Remove Bacteria

Brushing your teeth before bed allows you to remove bacteria from your teeth so it doesn’t fester overnight. When you allow bacteria to stay in your mouth overnight, then you’re allowing it to build up for the eight or so hours you’re sleeping. If you wonder why you have such bad breath in the morning, it can be related to the bacteria festering itself in your mouth overnight. When you brush before bed, you remove the bacteria from your mouth, which can form cavities and lead to gum disease. Bacteria will build up and form a type of plaque that lingers in your mouth and can become tartar, which is what causes inflammation and bleeding in the gums.

At Lifetime Smiles, our dentists want to instill in you a need to brush before bed. The average person should brush their teeth two times a day and floss once. The brushing for each time should be about two minutes. A good way to determine two minutes is to time it with your cell phone or to sing a song, the two minutes of time will allow you to get in between each of your teeth. For flossing, it’s important to get in between each tooth and to spend at least a minute flossing. For more oral hygiene tips, continue reading our blog or stop by our dental office.