"My dentist recommended waiting at least 20 mins before brushing, even if you rinse first, just to be safe."
Interesting point—I actually heard something similar from my son's dentist. Does anyone know if drinking milk or eating cheese after coffee helps neutralize acidity too? I've heard mixed things about dairy...
My hygienist actually mentioned something similar last visit—she said cheese is a good bet because it helps stimulate saliva, which naturally neutralizes acids. I usually grab a little cheddar cube after my afternoon coffee (mostly because I love cheese, haha), and I feel like it does help. Milk, though...I'm not as sure. I've heard mixed things too—something about sugars in milk possibly offsetting the benefits? Not entirely sure, but cheese definitely gets my vote.
Interesting about the cheese—I hadn't heard that before, but it makes sense. I've always been a bit skeptical about milk too, mostly because of the sugar content you mentioned. My dentist once casually mentioned yogurt as a good snack for dental health, but now I'm wondering if that's similar to milk in terms of sugars offsetting benefits? I usually go for plain Greek yogurt thinking it's healthier, but maybe I'm fooling myself, haha.
Also curious if anyone's dentist or hygienist has ever talked about nuts or crunchy veggies like carrots and celery? I've heard they're supposed to help clean teeth naturally because of their texture, but is that just wishful thinking? I snack on almonds pretty regularly and always assumed they were good for my teeth, but now I'm second-guessing myself a bit.
Honestly, dental advice can be so confusing sometimes...seems like every time I visit there's some new tip or trick. But hey, if cheese is dentist-approved, I'm definitely on board with that one.
Plain Greek yogurt's probably fine—way less sugar than flavored kinds. My ortho actually recommended crunchy veggies like carrots and celery for the texture too, said they help remove plaque naturally. Almonds seem safe enough, just watch out for bits getting stuck...
"Almonds seem safe enough, just watch out for bits getting stuck..."
Yeah, almonds make me nervous... had a piece stuck once and it irritated my gums for days. I stick to softer crunchy stuff like cucumber slices now—still crunchy but less risky.
