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How many of us hate our gooey mouths and brush our teeth first thing in the morning? Many, I am sure. Last night, during a chat, Deepak told me that he had just woken up, brushed his teeth and had his chai. My immediate response was to ask him why he hadn’t had his chai first and then brushed his teeth? To this he asked me, quite surprised, if I had my chai before brushing my teeth. My answer: yes!

Most of us, as a part of growing up, are taught to brush our teeth as soon as we wake up. Why? Have you ever asked yourselves? It is pretty obvious, y0u might say. The mouth smells bad due to all the bacterial action from the night before and the teeth need to be cleaned for a fresh mouth first thing in the morning. True I say, but does it make sense to clean our mouths first thing in the morning and then immediately proceed to have breakfast, thus reinviting all the bacteria that we had just brushed away?

If the point of brushing was to have a fresh breath and removal of foul smell, then any mouthwash would do. However, the point of brushing, as I see it, is to clean the mouth completely - to free our teeth from food particles, plaque, and bacteria to maintain a healthy oral environment. So if that is the point of brushing, what is the point of eating breakfast right after that morning brush?

All my life I grew up with this routine - wake up, brush, chai/bournvita, a little breakfast and off to school. Kids nowadays also brush their teeth at night. Great! However, after studying and pursuing dental hygiene, and after several debates on when to brush in the morning, I have started advising patients, friends, and family to brush after breakfast. I would like to present my argument here!

Our mouth has a dynamic environment and harbours more bacteria, good and bad, than you can ever think of. Eating different kinds of food constantly change the acidity in our mouths and as food gets trapped in between our teeth, it invites bacteria to settle there and multiply. Sugars produce an acidic coating over our teeth which make the enamel of our teeth susceptible to decay. After food is trapped for a few hours, it turns into the white sticky goo that you see in the morning called plaque. Foul smell also sometimes arises from the plaque staying put in the same place for longer periods of time. The tongue constantly cleanses our mouth but we also produce saliva which can be both good and bad. Good because when we talk and chew, saliva acts as a self cleanser. Bad because when we are asleep, this still saliva acts as a sort of glue for the plaque to stick even harder on our teeth - to put it simply. To keep our teeth and gums healthy and free of such decay and disease causing bacteria, it thus becomes imperative to keep our teeth free from such food debris, especially those that get stuck in the tiny spaces in between our teeth. How do we do it? Brush and floss.

We eat different meals throughout the day. Imagine the amount of acid and sugar production going on in our mouths the whole day - undisturbed till we brush at night. For some of us, till we brush the next morning. We wake up the next morning and brush to disrupt the little colonies that they have formed. Then we have breakfast. And then we proceed through the whole day eating - not worrying about the mini-party these bacteria are having in our mouths.

If you feel the strong urge to brush right after you wake up because you cannot stand the gooey feeling, then do a quick rinse with water. However, brush only after you have had your breakfast. Imagine cleaning your teeth and then sticking those bread crumbs, or paratha, or bagels, or omlette, or even the sugars in your chai in between your teeth. What a nice layer of fodder for bacteria! Brushing after this morning tea or breakfast will ensure that your teeth remain clean and free of food, thus less fodder for bacteria to multiply. As simple as that!

I remember telling little kids that if they did not brush at night, the germs will attack the food from the whole day and have a party in their mouth throughout the night. Sleeping with a clean mouth ensures that bacteria that now have a still environment without all the tongue and saliva movement do not get much fodder to multiply. So brushing at night is also important. But if you MUST brush only once a day then after breakfast is the way to go.

Moreover, brushing after breakfast ensures that the fluoride and therapeutic substances in your toothpaste have a clean sugar free enviroment to act on - atleast till lunch time If you do not see light in this little argument do attack me with questions. While I am not a licensed dental professional yet, and this might not be expert advise - I do believe in educating the public! If ya know whats going on in your mouth, you will be in a better position to make an informed decision about when to brush your teeth! If this was confusing as heck or if you have a better argument against brushing teeth after breakfast do let me know - I will check my facts up.

Here is to healthy teeth. My crowning glory - B and my little brother cannot go to bed without brushing their teeth at night anymore. B who laughed at me when I first asked him to brush after breakfast, now cannot leave the house without brushing after breakfast Needless to say, I too brush after the morning tea and bread-butter

It has been more than a month since I updated this blog. I disappeared from the face of blogsville, came back for a weekend, and then disappeared again for a week. Yes dear friends, I am here to answer the question - where was I?

In the rural parts of the state with no internet access. Yes yes, I have finally had a taste of what life is like without any internet. Actually, pretty nice. it was like a nice getaway to a place where I knew noone: in a free apartment provided by the education comission that was fabulously furnished, and working with children that ranged from 1 - 18 years in age! I was on my rotations for the whole month of February cleaning little kids’ teeth, putting sealants on their teeth, talking to their parents, going to rural schools and assisting in screenings, observing osteoo-somethin surgery, attending meetings, visiting dentists in the locality, and doing everything related to dental hygine and pediatrics! Remember my OR experience on the Gujju new year and that things we do on New Years happen all year round? Well guess what? I got another chance to be in the OR this month. However, I was not allowed to touch the patient at all this time since it was a private hospital. Overall, I had a great time and got loads of experience working with children.

Children! Ah, where do I begin? They are the easiest and the hardest to work with. So many children stand out that I do not know where to begin and talk about each one I met. Let me start with the youngest.

I had the privilege of being the FIRST dental professional a little girl saw when she had just turned one! I went out to the waiting room, called her name, and in came her parents, and her sister carrying the little baby. We sat her in the chair. She was pretty intimated at the sigh of this huge chair. I smiled, talked to the little cutie for two seconds
“Hi sweetie” brought the cutest smile on her face. Then we sat her down in the chair and I showed her the toothbrush. She took it - maybe she liked the colors on it. I asked the mother if she had tried brushing with the girl, and the answer was negative. So this was really the first time that her oral health was being evaluated. I proceeded to put on my gloves, mask, and eye wear all the while smiling at her, reassuring her. But ofcourse, all the cover up probably made me look like a rogue about to attack her. I could see fright in her eyes, and then she looked at her parents who smiled back and reassured her. The mother took pictures when I first opened her mouth and looked at her - chronicled her life and first visit to the dentist! She did not let me brush her teeth and started crying. No luck. The dentist came in, and we had to hold her down to check her teeth. She cried and screamed, which I must say was great because it kept her mouth open She might not remember, but I will always remember her first visit to the dentist!

Surprisingly, the very next patient was also seeing a dentist for the first time. He was two and the most adorable boy, much more cooperative. Another delight!

Another boy that stands out was 15 years old. Poor guy bore me cleaning his teeth for half an hour and then I said, “Buddy, we gotta do five sealants on you now” I heard the loudest groan ever! I said, ” aww comon, it will be quick and look at the bright sides, you dont have to come back for six months after that.” — “oh allright” was the half-convinced reply. I had a very difficult time doing sealants on him because they were in his very back teeth on the top which are very hard to reach. Yet, he was a trooper and stayed calm and patient tilting his head up everytime I asked him to. His mother, when I finally called her in to talk, said, “wow I didnt know you did sealants too, i was wondering why it took so long.”
The best part: the dentist checked the sealants and said they were excellent!

Then there was the five year old who just would not sit still. A little bit of cajoling and smiling did not work so I said firmly, “Will you please sit still and cooperate with me so that I can give you the prize at the end?” His cute reply - “Oh you are much better looking than the other lady.” How could I have not smiled at this now? Then he just kept talking, and I let him for a few minutes.
“You look like my brother’s girlfriend.”
Me: “Oh really? ”
“uh huh”
Me: “but I am not ”
“do you have a boyfriend?”
Me, rolling my eyes…sheeez kids nowadays! “yes I do”
“whats his name?”
Me: “why do you wanna know”
“I just wanna…whats his name?”
Me: “ohhhh comon, you dont wanna know”
Then all of a sudden he touched my earring and said: “Oh these earrings are nice, where did you get them?”
Little flirt!!!
Me: “aww thanks! My boyfriend gave them to me”
“Yea, whats his name?”
Me: “hahah you are never gonna know! Now comon, lets sit still so I can let you go home quickly. Will you help me?”
“uh huh”
He was the littlest, most precious flirt, and still wouldnt sit still. It was a miracle I was able to work on his teeth.

There were soo many more beautiful moments I shared with these kids and I could write a book, but I shall spare ye and write this one that stood out the most!
Six year old girl.
Okay sweety, we are going to take some pictures of your teeth.
–”Does it hurt?”
No! Not at all. I wouldnt hurt you ever, look… its easy. You bite on this little thing and I will put my big camera next to your cheek and count till five and you will be done.
–”okay”
I tried putting the film in her mouth for her x-rays but she started crying. I tried little nice talk but she kept crying.
honey you gotta tell me why you are crying. You just cant cry and not tell me why
–”It hurts”
No sweety, look its easy. It will take two seconds.
After much cajoling I got her to let me take a few x-rays which actually came out pretty well.
Then I proceeded to look at her teeth and use my explorer to check for pits and fissures in her teeth. She saw this sharp instrument and flinched even before it entered her mouth.
–”WHATS THATTTTTTTTTTTTT”
Its my little mirror and little helper that helps me check your teeth.
–”It huuuuuurrrrrrrrrrttttttttttttttttttttttsssssssss”
Trust me ladies and gentlemen, I hadnt even put it in her mouth.
Okay sweety, open your mouth.
–”I dont want to”
Open please
–”i dont want to”
Now I had to be a little harsh with her.
Listen sweety, you dont tell the dentist that you dont want to. You do what they ask you. I am only going to help you okay?
I got a nod.
So lets not say you dont want to. Lets do it. Take this tissue and wipe those tears off please.
I worked on her and when I finished “See that wasnt bad, you were crying for no reason”
She just nodded. Then the dentist came in to check my work. And she asked the little girl, so what grade do you give to Ms. K for working on your teeth. An “A” or a “B”
Even after all the crying and my harsh words she said “A+” and hugged me before she left!

I learnt loads in the past few weeks, the most important thing I learnt: Children have cavities and when they do, they have LOADS! I will update you guys a little more later on. But I am back at my apartment and have internet access!! Yay!