CLAIM: 

Brush your teeth at night and then after you eat breakfast in the morning.

FACT:

True; doctors First Check spoke to advised that brushing two times, at night before going to bed and after breakfast in the morning is the most ideal practice.

Since childhood, we have been repeatedly told that we need to brush our teeth the first thing in the morning. However a video is now going viral online, which claims that one should brush their teeth at night, and then only after breakfast.

 "You should brush at night and after that if at all you're having anything, it should only be plain water. You should not consume anything else. Then only brush after having breakfast the next morning," says Dr Sandesh Mayekar, in the reel posted on Instagram by podcaster Nitin Bajaj, who has over 50,000 followers.

"You haven't consumed anything during the night, so whatever bacteria would be there are the good ones. You should drink warm water; this will improve your digestion. Brushing should be done only after 10-15 minutes of having breakfast. There is no need to brush before having breakfast (if brushed at night)," he says in the video, which appears to be a clip from a larger longer podcast and has over 40 lakh views.

Dr Mayekar also repeated his "it is important to brush at night" claims in a podcast with popular podcaster Raj Shamani as well, saying that it is to address the plaque accumulation that happens over 12 hours. 

So when should you brush your teeth?

First Check spoke with two dental experts to determine the truth behind these claims on when to brush and what is optimal for dental health.

Dr Neeraj Anand Verma, who has 45+ years of experience and is associated with Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi, agreed with Dr Mayekar's assertions and recommended brushing twice daily, spaced 12 hours apart. "The best time is in the morning and before going to bed," he said. "When we sleep at night, bacteria in our mouth, with the help of food and inactivity, grow faster."

Dr Verma added that dental plaque reforms approximately every 12 hours, reinforcing the importance of regular brushing. "When you remove the plaque completely from somebody's mouth, it again reforms in 12 hours time. That is why periodically, 12 hours is a good time one should brush," he said.

First Check also spoke with Dr Dhiraj Vohra, a leading dentist practicing at Khan Market, New Delhi who agreed on the twice-daily regimen but emphasized nighttime brushing for those who might skip a session. "Two times preferably, but if you have lazy people, then I would tell them the most important time is at bedtime," he said.

Both dentists highlighted the importance of the practice for preventing gum disease, not just cavities. "There are two different things. One is gum disease, another is cavity," explained Dr Verma. "Gums support the teeth, and any disease in the gums makes the support of the teeth weak."

Dr Vohra noted that gingivitis — inflammation of the gums that causes bleeding — results from plaque buildup. "People who do not brush have something called gingivitis. If you are brushing twice a day and doing it correctly, there will be no gingivitis," he said.

Beyond brushing, Dr Vohra strongly recommends flossing. "Floss is the boss. If you can floss every day, you can stay away from the dentist for months together. You just need to go for a checkup. So, brushing twice a day, flossing daily, you would not need a dentist in an emergency," he said, and then with a laugh, "unless you break a tooth," he ended.

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