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It’s late at night, you’ve been binge-watching your new favorite show for hours, and your stomach starts to rumble. We’ve all been there. Maybe it’s even your normal routine, no judgment here. But these late night snacks come with a price, and that price is charged to your oral hygiene. If you’re snacking late at night, especially if it’s after you brush your teeth, that food can sit in your mouth all night while you sleep. This gives time for bacteria to grow and plaque to form. It will also create terrible breath.
But don’t fret just yet, like anything else, there’s a way to snack at night without damaging your teeth so much. This comes down food choices as well as brushing times.
The Right Foods
If you really have to eat a snack at night before bed, eating the right stuff can greatly reduce the damage to your oral hygiene. If you can manage it, try to avoid any kinds of candy or sweets at night. Even something like pizza is better for your teeth than sweets at night time. Snacks like cheese, apples, or carrots are all good for your teeth and won’t cause any harm to them. If you’re craving something more substantial you could have some nuts. Nuts are packed with proteins and fats and don’t have the negative effect on your teeth that sweets do.
The Right Brushing
Whether you’re having sugary and acidic foods or more tooth-friendly foods like cheese and carrots, you want to brush after you eat but before you go to bed. No matter what you eat, the bacteria from that food can build up in your mouth overnight. That’s why it’s vital for you to plan your brushing after your late night snacks. If you know you’re a big late night snacker, a great idea is to hold off on brushing until you’re ready to go to sleep. This can help greatly with potentially harmful sweets and desserts. If you absolutely can’t resist snacking on sugary sweets at night, consider investing in an AutoBrush automatic toothbrush. The AutoBrush utilizes automatic 360-degree cleaning to target all parts of your teeth for maximum bacterial removal. With a traditional toothbrush, it’s easy to have leftover food and bacteria in your mouth from improper brushing. It may not even be your fault, as traditional brushes are simply not built to get every space in the mouth. The AutoBrush cleans automatically, and without any effort from you, to give your mouth the best possible clean and get rid of any bacteria that could build up from snacking.
So get your late-night snacking game on point and prepare to eat foods that are just a little bit better for your hygiene.
