If brushing your teeth with traces of acid in your mouth really is dangerous, shouldn't we hear about it without mentioning of vomit? Yes, and we do (from Colgate ): You should know, however, that brushing your teeth after eating can sometimes affect your tooth enamel. According to the Mayo Clinic , if you've consumed anything acidic, you should avoid brushing your teeth for at least 30 minutes. Foods containing citric acid, like oranges, grapefruits and lemons, weaken tooth enamel. Brushing too soon after eating them can damage the enamel in its weakened state. If you don't trust corporate sources, note the Mayo Clinic link that says the same thing. Avoid brushing teeth immediately after exposing them to acid. That source doesn't mention vomiting, but here's a link from a bulimia support group that does mention vomiting. It agrees with your original source. Do not brush your teeth immed

medical science - Can brushing your teeth too often damage your teeth? - Skeptics Stack Exchange current community chat blog Skeptics Skeptics Meta your communities Sign up or log in to customize your list. more stack exchange communities Stack Exchange sign up log in tour help Tour Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed answers to any questions you might have Meta Discuss the workings and policies of this site Skeptics Questions Tags Users Badges Unanswered Ask Question Take the 2-minute tour × Skeptics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for scientific skepticism. It's 100% free, no registration required. Can brushing your teeth too often damage your teeth? up vote 17 down vote favorite 5 I've heard that brushing your teeth too often (usually stated as more than 3 times per day) will cause the enamel on your teeth to become damaged or wear away, is this possible? Example 1: the abrasives found in just some of the toothpastes available are the things that wear down the enamel coating your teeth.Once the enamel is broken down....teeth rot Example 2 (A study of 12 people over four weeks, not very convincing): A study by researchers at Newcastle University say there is little evidence to show that longer and harder brushing makes teeth cleaner. Try taking scouring powder to an enameled cooking pot with a hard brush and see what happens over time, the enamel becomes scratched and eventually can completely disappear. – jwenting Jul 5 '11 at 6:37 1 If you brush the wrong way certainly, even with less times per day. – Martin Scharrer Jul 5 '11 at 7:43 add a comment | 2 Answers 2 active oldest votes up vote 11 down vote According to the American Dental Association, brushing your teeth too much seems to result in problems not with your teeth, but with your gums (for example receding gums that can lead to tooth sensitivity. Here is the sensitive teeth link. They also recommend brushing twice a day with a soft-bristled brush. The Mayo Clinic also recommends that if you eat or drink something that you know is acidic you should wait 30 minutes before brushing because you might damage the tooth enamel. share | improve this answer answered Jul 6 '11 at 4:31 nalgenegirl 1,309 5 16 I can confirm the existence of this gum-receding problem that is caused by excessive brushing. In theory, you could brush delicately && precisely enough to avoid rubbing your gums with your brush – in practice people aren't aware enough to it until they experience gum recession. – New Alexandria Sep 30 '12 at 19:15 add a comment | up vote 5 down vote The direction of brushing matters. Brushing horizontally with a stiff brush can lead to a horizontal scoring at the gum line, thinning the enamel there. Electric toothbrushes generally have rotating heads so their fast motion cannot do this, but a strong horizontal brusher using a stiff bristle brush can do this inadvertently. Correct brushing is primarily composed vertical strokes, away from the gum line. Horizontal strokes should be angled to the gum line [1]. The gums can also be damaged from excessive friction [2]. I could find no good evidence that the abrasive in ordinary toothpaste erodes tooth enamel. [1] http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/healthy-teeth-10/brushing-teeth-mistakes?page=2 [2] http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1076089 share | improve this answer answered Sep 30 '12 at 16:04 geoO 291 3 8 add a comment | Your Answer draft saved draft discarded Sign up or log in Sign up using Google Sign up using Facebook Sign up using Stack Exchange Post as a guest Name Email discard By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service . Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged medical-science dentistry or ask your own question . asked 3 years ago viewed 2330 times active 2 years ago 7 votes · comment · stats Related 28 Brushing your teeth multiple times per day 46 What's the point of brushing teeth in the morning? 10 Does chewing ice cubes damage your teeth? 18 Does eating too much candy make your teeth rot? 11 Do I have to brush my teeth at least 3 minutes each time? 29 Does flossing produce better oral health? 43 Do we need to brush our teeth? 9 Can wisdom teeth replace 2nd molars? 21 Is it better to floss before or after brushing the teeth? 7 Is diet soda as bad for your teeth as regular soda or methamphetamine? Hot Network Questions How to measure total RAM usage of a program under Windows?