A doctor has taken to social media this week to tell members of the public that they should be brushing their teeth before eating breakfast and not after.
The advice in question was delivered by Dr. Karan Raj, who currently boasts more than 2.7 million followers on TikTok, and was shared in a video that has since been viewed more than 840,000 times (as of this writing).
In the video, Dr. Raj states:
"You've got to brush your teeth before breakfast, not after. Brushing before breakfast coats your enamel with a protective barrier against acid in your food - all that orange juice you're guzzling down.
"It also helps you jump-start saliva production which helps you break down food and naturally kills harmful bacteria in your mouth.
"Brushing your teeth after breakfast can actually cover your teeth in the remnants of acidic food, and this can actually weaken your enamel."
As you can see, a number of TikTok users took to the comments to react to the doctor's advice, with many agreeing that brushing before is a good idea, while many others expressed shock that this wasn't common practice.
For instance, one person wrote: "I've been doing this my whole life and people think I'm crazy," while someone else added: "I can't believe people brush after breakfast it just doesn't make sense to me."
However, one commenter appeared to disagree with Dr. Raj, taking to the comments to state: "Sorry I disagree (Dental nurse of 16years) best time to brush is 30mins after eating then you don't have plaque sitting on your teeth until your next meal."
Indeed, Dr. Raj later took to the comments himself to clarify his prior statements, adding: "If you do brush after breakfast don't do it straight away! Brushing after is better than not brushing at all I guess!"
So there you have it! If you want to keep your teeth as clean as possible then please take Dr. Raj's advice and brush before, not after. Believe me: your dentist will thank you.